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.
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:
Empress Genmei ordered in 713 that place names in the provinces, districts, and townships be written in two kanji characters with positive connotations.[1] This occasionally required name changes. For example, became and became .
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.[2]
Hitachi no Kuni Fudoki
Suruga no Kuni Fudoki
Ōmi no Kuni Fudoki
Michinoku no Kuni Fudoki 陸奥国風土記
Izumo no Kuni Fudoki
Tango no Kuni Fudoki
Bingo no Kuni Fudoki
Bungo no Kuni Fudoki
Hizen no Kuni Fudoki
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 Prefectural Ukitama Fudoki no Oka Archaeological Museum | |||
| Shimotsuke Fudoki no Oka | Tochigi Prefectural Shimotsuke Fudoki no Oka Museum | |||
| Nasu Fudoki no Oka | Tochigi | Shimotsuke | Nakagawa Municipal Nasu Fudoki no Oka Museum | |
| Saitama Prefectural Museum of the Sakitama Ancient Burial Mounds | ||||
| Shimōsa | Boso-no-Mura Museum | |||
| Tateyama Fudoki no Oka | Tateyama | |||
| Kōfu | Yamanashi Prefectural Archaeological Museum | |||
| Ōmi Fudoki no Oka | ||||
| Chikatsu Asuka Fudoki no Oka | Kawachi | Kanan | Osaka Prefectural Chikatsu Asuka Museum | |
| Kii Fudoki no Oka | Kii | Wakayama | Wakayama Prefecture Kii-fudoki-no-oka Museum of Archaeology and Folklore | |
| Yakumotatsu Fudoki no Oka | Izumo | Matsue | Shimane Prefectural Yakumotatsu Fudoki no Oka Museum | |
| Kibiji Fudoki no Oka | Sōja | Sōja Kibiji Museum | ||
| Miyoshi | Hiroshima Prefectural Miyoshi Fudoki no Oka Museum | |||
| Higo Kodai no Mori | Yamaga and Nagomi | Kumamoto Prefectural Ancient Burial Mound Museum | ||
| Bungo | Usa | Ōita Prefectural Museum of History | ||
| Saitobaru Fudoki no Oka | Saito | Miyazaki Prefectural Saitobaru Archaeological Museum | ||
