Fudoki

are ancient reports on provincial culture, geography, and oral tradition presented to the reigning monarchs of Japan, also known as local gazetteers. They contain agricultural, geographical, and historical records as well as mythology and folklore. Fudoki manuscripts also document local myths, rituals, and poems that are not mentioned in the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki chronicles, which are the most important literature of the ancient national mythology and history. In the course of national unification, the imperial court enacted a series of criminal and administrative codes called ritsuryō and surveyed the provinces established by such codes to exert greater control over them.

Kofudoki

File:Harima Fudoki.jpg

A scroll of the oldest extant Fudoki from Harima Province preserved at Tenri Central Library in Tenri, Nara

In the narrower sense, Fudoki refer to the oldest records written in the Nara period, later called . Compilation of Kofudoki began in 713 and was completed over a 20-year period. Following the Taika Reform in 646 and the Code of Taihō enacted in 701, there was need to centralize and solidify the power of the imperial court. This included accounting for lands under its control. According to the Shoku Nihongi, Empress Genmei issued a decree in 713 ordering each to collect and report the following information:

• Etymology of names for geographic features, such as mountains, plains, and rivers
• Land fertility
• Myths, legends, and folktales told orally by old people
• Names of districts and townships
• Natural resources and living things

Names

Empress Genmei ordered in 713 that place names in the provinces, districts, and townships be written in two kanji characters with positive connotations. This occasionally required name changes. For example, became and became .

Manuscripts

At least 48 of the Gokishichidō provinces contributed to their records but only that of Izumo remains nearly complete. Partial records of Hizen, Bungo, Harima and Hitachi remain and a few passages from various volumes remain scattered throughout various books. Those of Harima and Hizen are designated National Treasures.

Below is a list of extant manuscripts and scattered passages.

Kinai

• Settsu Province:
• Yamashiro Province:
• Yamato Province:

Tōkaidō

• Hitachi Province: Hitachi no Kuni Fudoki ja:常陸国風土記
• Iga Province:
• Ise Province:
• Izu Province:
• Kai Province:
• Kazusa Province:
• Mikawa Province:
• Owari Province:
• Sagami Province:
• Shima Province:
• Shimōsa Province:
• Suruga Province: Suruga no Kuni Fudoki ja:駿河国風土記

Tōsandō

• Hida Province:
• Ōmi Province: Ōmi no Kuni Fudoki ja:近江国風土記
• Michinoku Province: Michinoku no Kuni Fudoki 陸奥国風土記
• Mino Province:
• Shinano Province:

Hokurikudō

• Echigo Province:
• Echizen Province:
• Wakasa Province:

San'indō

• Hōki Province:
• Inaba Province:
• Iwami Province:
• Izumo Province: Izumo no Kuni Fudoki ja:出雲国風土記
• Tango Province: Tango no Kuni Fudoki ja:丹後国風土記

San'yōdō

• Bingo Province: Bingo no Kuni Fudoki ja:備後国風土記
• Bitchū Province:
• Bizen Province:
• Harima Province: Harima no Kuni Fudoki ja:播磨国風土記
• Mimasaka Province:

Nankaidō

• Awa Province (Tokushima):
• Awaji Province:
• Iyo Province:
• Kii Province:
• Sanuki Province:
• Tosa Province:

Saikaidō

• Bungo Province: Bungo no Kuni Fudoki ja:豊後国風土記
• Buzen Province:
• Chikuzen Province:
• Chikugo Province:
• Iki Province:
• Higo Province:
• Hizen Province: Hizen no Kuni Fudoki ja:肥前国風土記
• Hyūga Province:
• Ōsumi Province:
• Satsuma Province:

Parks

In 1966 the Agency for Cultural Affairs called on the prefectural governments to build open-air museums and parks called near historic sites such as tombs (kofun) and provincial temples. These archaeological museums preserve and exhibit cultural properties to enhance public understanding of provincial history and culture.

Name	Prefecture	Province	Municipalities	Museum
Ukitamu Fudoki no Oka	Yamagata	Uzen	Takahata	Yamagata Prefectural Ukitama Fudoki no Oka Archaeological Museum
Shimotsuke Fudoki no Oka	Tochigi	Shimotsuke	Shimotsuke	Tochigi Prefectural Shimotsuke Fudoki no Oka Museum
Nasu Fudoki no Oka	Tochigi	Shimotsuke	Nakagawa and Ōtawara	Nakagawa Municipal Nasu Fudoki no Oka Museum
Template:Interlanguage link	Saitama	Musashi	Gyōda	Saitama Prefectural Museum of the Sakitama Ancient Burial Mounds
Template:Interlanguage link	Chiba	Shimōsa	Sakae and Narita	Boso-no-Mura Museum
Tateyama Fudoki no Oka	Toyama	Etchū	Tateyama	Template:Interlanguage link
Template:Interlanguage link	Yamanashi	Kai	Kōfu	Yamanashi Prefectural Archaeological Museum
Ōmi Fudoki no Oka	Shiga	Ōmi	Ōmihachiman and Azuchi	Template:Interlanguage link
Chikatsu Asuka Fudoki no Oka	Osaka	Kawachi	Kanan	Osaka Prefectural Chikatsu Asuka Museum
Kii Fudoki no Oka	Wakayama	Kii	Wakayama	Wakayama Prefecture Kii-fudoki-no-oka Museum of Archaeology and Folklore
Yakumotatsu Fudoki no Oka	Shimane	Izumo	Matsue	Shimane Prefectural Yakumotatsu Fudoki no Oka Museum
Kibiji Fudoki no Oka	Okayama	Bitchū	Sōja	Sōja Kibiji Museum
Template:Interlanguage link	Hiroshima	Bingo	Miyoshi	Hiroshima Prefectural Miyoshi Fudoki no Oka Museum
Higo Kodai no Mori	Kumamoto	Higo	Yamaga and Nagomi	Kumamoto Prefectural Ancient Burial Mound Museum
Template:Interlanguage link	Ōita	Bungo	Usa	Ōita Prefectural Museum of History
Saitobaru Fudoki no Oka	Miyazaki	Hyūga	Saito	Miyazaki Prefectural Saitobaru Archaeological Museum

See also

• Japanese Historical Text Initiative

External links

• 風土記(Big5 Chinese) texts of the remaining Fudoki & scattered passages in other books.
• Manuscript scans at Waseda University Library: Hizen, 1800, Bungo, 1800, Bungo, unknown
• 風土記 Template:In lang
• 国土としての始原史～風土記逸文 Template:In lang