Honchō Tsugan

The Honchō Tsugan (本朝通鑑), or Comprehensive Mirror of Japan, is a history of Japan written in Classical Chinese by Hayashi Razan and, after his death, by his successor Hayashi Gahō. Completed in 1670, it runs to 326 scrolls and is modeled on the Zizhi Tongjian, the great Chinese general history. It was compiled at the Shūshikan (修史館), or Historiographic Institute, built for Gahō, who was given enough rations (fuchi) to support a research team of up to 95 men.

Japanese scholars have praised Razan for his relatively dispassionate attempt to understand the past, and some regard him as the founder of modern historical research in Japan. The work influenced Arai Hakuseki, who is considered even more objective. Still, it was far from perfect: Razan faced pressure from his times to avoid questioning traditional religious myths such as the Age of the Gods, and he does not treat them critically. His skeptical views on these subjects were confined to private writings.