Record of Ancient Matters. The oldest book in Japanese history which dates from 712 AD. The Kojiki is a mythological work somewhat akin to the Bible and contains a creation story of Japan and the lineage of its first 33 emperors. Morihei UESHIBA would often allude to events and personages from the Kojiki when giving lectures on aikido. Although he tended to attach personal interpretations to the passages contained in the Kojiki, it provided a rich source of metaphors for the presentation of his concepts.