Nihonshoki (日本書紀) is the second oldest history book about the ancient history of Japan. Compared with Kojiki, the oldest, it is more elaborate and has proven invaluable to historians as it includes the most complete historical records they have of ancient Japanese history. Nihonshoki was finished in 720. The book is also called the Nihongi (日本紀).
Like Kojiki, Nihonshoki begins with mythological tales that cannot be relied on for historical reference, but it also continues on to contemporary events. It is considered to have recorded accurately the latter reigns of Tenji, Tenmu, and Jito. Nihonshoki focuses on the merits of the virtuous rulers and the mistakes of the bad ones. It recorded episodes from mythological eras, diplomatic contacts with China and Korea, and numerous events close to its time of compilation. Though Kojiki was written in transliterated Japanese with Chinese characters, Nihonshoki was written in classical Chinese as was common for any official documents at that time.
