Kojiki

The Kojiki (古事記, "Records of Ancient Matters" or "An Account of Ancient Matters"), also sometimes read as Furukotofumi or Furukotobumi, is an early Japanese chronicle containing myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the kami (神), and the Japanese imperial line.

According to its preface, the Kojiki was composed by Ō no Yasumaro at the request of Empress Genmei in the early 8th century (711–712), making it widely considered the oldest extant literary work in Japan.

The myths contained in the Kojiki as well as the Nihon Shoki (日本書紀) form the foundation for many practices and what became unified "Shinto orthodoxy." These myths were later incorporated into Shinto practices such as the misogi purification ritual.