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annually, which had been offered to hint by another daimiô. The concluding part of the commentary was completed in 1796. The printing of the work was begun in 1789 and finished in 1822.
In 1801, at the request of a number of his admirers, he again visited Kiôto, where crowds flocked together to hear his lectures. The princes of the blood and many of the Court nobles sought instruction from him in matters relating to the early history of Japan. He died in the autumn of the same year, and was buried in a tomb which he had previously caused to be constructed at the monastery of Miôrakuji near Matsuzaka.
This seems a fitting place in which to give some account of the earliest extant historical records of the Japanese, and of those of which only brief notices have been preserved, taking for our authority the first volume of the Kojikiden.
The Nihongi states that in the year 403 (4th of Richiu Tennô) “historiographers were appointed for the first time to all the provinces, to record words and events,” from which it may be inferred that such officials had existed at the Court before that date. The latter probably also had records of what was known of the earlier ages, which would account for the existence of numerous independant chronicles, such as are quoted in the Nihongi, especially in the first two books called the Jindai-no-maki. The Nihongi also says that in the year 620 (28th of the empress Suiko Tennô) Shôtoku Taishi and Soga no Umako [began to] compile by their joint efforts “A Record of the Mikado, a Record of the Country, and records of the Omi, Muraji, Tomo-no-mi-yatsuko, kuni no miyatsuko, of the chiefs of the mikado’s followers, and of the people.” This is the first mention of any records of the court. Temmu Tennô also commanded Prince Kawashima and eleven others in 681 to compile a history of the Mikados and an account of ancient matters. Neither of these collections have been preserved. In the 9th month of the year 711 the Empress Gemmiô Tennô commanded the minister Yasumaro to commit the
