This paper will discuss and compare the anthologies of Manʻyōshū and Kokinshū, which were the earliest poetry collections of the classical period in Japan. Manʻyōshū was the earliest anthology of poems and included both long and short forms. It was compiled in the 7th century. Kokinshū was a collection of short poems known as tanka, consisting of 31 syllables. It was compiled in the 8th-10th century. The Kokinshū became the poetry standard for the next 1,000 years in Japan. (The Manyōshū and Kokinshū Poetry Collections)
The Manʻyōshū, also known as the Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves, is the earliest collection of Japanese poetry which was compiled sometime in 759 AD and was divided into 20 volumes, containing 4,516 Japanese poems. There are 4,200 tanka (short poems), 265 chōka (long poems), and 60 sedōka (head-repeated poems), which was a repeated verse form of 5-7-5, 5-7-5. The Manʻyōshū is also the largest collection of poems ever and was compiled by not only aristocrats but also emperors, peasants, and soldiers. The last four volumes are said to be compiled by Ōtomo no Yakamochi who wrote 473 poems. Other important contributors were Takechi Kurohito, Yamanoue Okura, and Kakinomoto Hitomar, who supposedly wrote about 367 poems and was one of Japan’s greatest poets. The poems were recorded by oral tradition and is considered as great literature from the Nara period. Manʻyōshū was written in manyogana and did not have a preface. Early poems from Manʻyōshū have Confucian or Taoist themes and later poems reflect Buddhist teachings. The Manʻyōshū was written to show national identity to prove themselves since China was bigger. (Ten Thousand Leaves)
The first poem from the Manʻyōshū is about a man trying to woo a girl...
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...This format made it a lot easier for people to understand the poems. The Chinese could also understand the Kokinshū since the second preface was written in manajo. (Murdoch 471)
Works Cited
Kato, Shuichi. A History of Japanese Literature from the Manʻyōshū to Modern Times.
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Keene, Donald. Anthology of Japanese Literature. New York: Grove Press, 1955. Print.
Murdoch, James. A History of Japan Vol. III. London: Broadway House, 1926. Print.
“Ten Thousand Leaves.” York St. John University. 2009. PDF file.
“The Kokinwakashū.” 2001 Waka for Japan 2001. n.p n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2011.
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“The Manyōshu and Kokinshū Poetry Collections.” Contemporary Japan. n.p. n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. .
The Man’yoshu was one of the earliest texts using tanka poetry form. Tanka poetry which is written as 5-7-5-7-7 is ...
The two poems that I have selected for the Analytic Paper are “Blue Light Lounge Sutra For The Performance Poets At Harold Park Hotel” and “Thanks” by Yusef Komunyakaa. The former was read and analyzed as part of a class discussion early on in the quarter while the latter is a piece never analyzed, but closely related to another that was examined for its content and stylistic techniques (“Facing It”, Penguin Anthology, page 441). Though both were written by the same author, there are specific discrepancies in rhythm and wording that create artistic differences that suit the subject of each piece.
Lady Muarausaki, she admired Juyi Bai, a famous Chinese poet. At the very time in China, an
The poem contains two hundred and twenty one words with eight stanzas and thirty four lines. The subject appears to be about a girl who is about to be a woman and what she should look for in a man. “For a Girl I Know about to be a Woman” is about a young
Literature shows us the changes of our society from time to time. It also gives us an idea about people, culture, politics, gender traditions, as well as an overall view of previous civilizations. As a part of literature, poetry introduces us to different cultures with different perspectives. Ancient Egypt and ancient China may differ in terms of culture, politics, economic stability, tradition, or even in religious belief. However, in poetry, especially in love lyrics both Egyptian and Chinese poems portray common area of describing women, social attitudes toward love, sexuality and the existence of romance or selfishness in relationships. . If we look at the Egyptian poem “My god, my Lotus” and the Chinese poem “Fishhawk”, we will see both poems have similarities in describing relationships. Also, they have the similarity of imagining the lovers and their expression of love toward each other. However, both poems have some significant differences in terms of representing female sexuality, gender disparity and the display of love.
10. "Book of Poetry : Minor Odes of the Kingdom : Decade Of Bei Shan : Bei Shan 2 - Chinese Text Project." Chinese Text Project. N.p., n.d. Web.
This poem opens up the eyes of the reader and teaches us a lesson about life. It is essentially an example of the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. The woman seems so perfect on the outside and for that reason the man wants to be with her, but when he knows that the cover of her book is different from that of most, then he instantly makes up his mind that he won’t even open
The Heian period(794-1185), the so-called golden age of Japanese culture, produced some of the finest works of Japanese literature.1 The most well known work from this period, the Genji Monogatari, is considered to be the “oldest novel still recognized today as a major masterpiece.”2 It can also be said that the Genji Monogatari is proof of the ingenuity of the Japanese in assimilating Chinese culture and politics. As a monogatari, a style of narrative with poems interspersed within it, the characters and settings frequently allude to Chinese poems and stories. In addition to displaying the poetic prowess that the Japanese had attained by this time period, the Genji Monogatari also demonstrates how politics and gender ideals were adopted from the Chinese.
The Tale of Murasaki, by Liza Dalby, is about Murasaki, a young woman who lived in the Heian period (794-1185) of Japan. She writes a story called The Tale of Genji, and earns so much recognition for it that she is invited to court to attend the empress. Not only was she known for her writing, but she drew attention by learning Chinese. In the story, a Chinese education is essential for a man hoping to be a high-ranked member of society. Because the Japanese considered Chinese culture as superior, waka, a popular form of Japanese poetry, carries less cultural value in the novel. Therefore, both high-class women and men have to learn about wakas and use them daily. A woman who can compose good wakas and is beautiful would have the best chances of going to court, which is the best way to guarantee a comfortable life. Liza Dalby’s The Tale of Murasaki accurately portrays the abilities of each sex, the importance of Chinese learning, and the role of Japanese poetry in the Heian period of Japan.
The Tale of Heike." Traditional Japanese Literature: An Anthology, Beginnings to 1600. Ed. Haruo Shirane. New York: Columbia UP, 2007. 736-39. Print.
In the fourth stanza, line one to three the female has an upper hand in this relationship. In line four to seven the male feels uplifted by the deeds of the female and chooses to change himself for the
writing the poem, to woo his love. Or maybe is the line was not meant
In his preface of the Kokinshū poet Ki no Tsurayaki wrote that poetry conveyed the “true heart” of people. And because poetry declares the true heart of people, poetry in the minds of the poets of the past believed that it also moved the hearts of the gods. It can be seen that in the ancient past that poetry had a great importance to the people of the time or at least to the poets of the past. In this paper I will describe two of some of the most important works in Japanese poetry the anthologies of the Man’yōshū and the Kokinshū. Both equally important as said by some scholars of Japanese literature, and both works contributing greatly to the culture of those who live in the land of the rising sun.
of the difficulty in acceptance. In the first few stanzas the poet creates the impression that she