Man’yōshū vs. Kokinshū

During the Heian Period (794 – 1185 AD) in Japan, poetry became a very popular art form. Two of the most significant pieces that came out of this time period were the Manyōshū and Kokinshū. The Manyōshū was the first anthology of poems ever created and the Kokinshū was the first anthology of poems ordered by imperial rule. They are not only important because they were the beginning of recorded Japanese art, but also because they greatly influenced and represented the culture and society at that time.

When the Manyōshū was created around 759 AD, Japan wanted to create their own form of literature and poetry unique to their country. Korean and Chinese masters that taught poetry from their countries inspired the Japanese to follow suit. The Manyōshū was comprised of 4,516 waka, Japanese poems, and the different styles used in order of popularity were tanka, choka, and hanka. Poems were labeled as such, based on their syllabic pattern. Within the tanka, choka, and hanka writing techniques such as makurakotoba, pillow words, were commonly used. Formulation of these different types of poems helped to not only record folk songs, but to also create writing styles and techniques that were unique Japan.

Half of the authors in the Manyōshū are unknown, and many of them ranged from emperors to merchants to soldiers to farmers, even males and females. People of any social status were allowed to compose for the Manyōshū because as long as one could compose good poetry, one was highly revered. It is also important to note that this was a private, not imperial, collection because the authors had the freedom to write about whatever they pleased. This is significant because it was very rare to have authors from different backgrounds co...

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...t for experimenting and creating different styles of poetry amongst all classes and the Kokinshū further built upon ideas from the Manyōshū except it was more selective by limiting its authors to the high ranking class. This led to more refined art, which was the Japanese original goal, because it was written by people with more education and experience. Japanese poetry flourished during the Heian Period, and by the time the Kokinshū was created, their works were not only easily comparable to China’s, but also they were able to establish national identity.

Works Cited

Kato, Shuichi. A History of Japanese Literature From the Manyoshu to Modern Times. Abridged Edition. Surrey: Japan Library, 1997.

Roysten, Clifton W. "Utaawase Judgements as Poetry Criticism." The Journal of Asian Studies 34.1 (1974): 99. 29 May 2011. .