Following the earlier national history Nihon Montoku Tennō Jitsuroku (879), Emperor Uda ordered the compilation of the years since then.
It was compiled by Fujiwara no Tokihira, Sugawara no Michizane, Ōkura no Yoshiyuki, and Mimune no Masahira.
Written in Classical Chinese and contained within fifty volumes, the contents cover a span of thirty years from 858 to 887 corresponding to three imperial reigns: Seiwa, Yōzei, and Kōkō.
Also described is an earthquake in July 869 and a tsunami that flooded the plains of northeast Japan: “The sea soon rushed into the villages and towns, overwhelming a few hundred miles of land along the coast.
"[2] Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku is the final text in the Six National Histories series.