Abstract
Nihon-giryaku, the chronicles written in classical Chinese, consists of the thirty-four volumes anonymously edited during the Heian Period. As in Chinese historical writings, in the earlier parts of the chronicles, under the influence of the philosophy of Yin and Yang, historical events are temporarily arranged in correspondence with the cycle of the four seasons. In the later volumes, however, the seasons are found to cease to have such function. This shift exemplifies the general process in which the philosophical element of Chinese literature was gradually lost in Japanese writings while only its form was assimilated into them.
