Kokinshu / Collection from Ancient and Modern Times

More properly known as the Kokin wakashu (Collection of Japanese Poems from Ancient and Modern Times). Although its compilation was already under way during the reign of Emperor Uda (r 887-897), the Kokinshu was officially commissioned under Emperor Daigo (r 897-930). It was completed about 905. Although the compilers of the Kokinshu believed that the 8th-century collection of Japanese verse, the Man'yoshu, had also been royally commissioned, the Kokinshu was in fact the first in a series of anthologies of native verse compiled by royal command, the chokusenshu or nijuichidai shu, 《collections from 21 eras.》 Next to being chosen as a compiler of such a collection, having one's poems included was the highest poetic honor.

Contents

The four compilers of the Kokinshu were Ki no Tsurayuki, his cousin Ki no Tomonori, Oshikochi no Mitsune, and Mibu no Tadamine. Tsurayuki wrote the Japanese preface to the Kokinshu and Ki no Yoshimochi (d 919), the Chinese preface. The collection's 1,111 poems were chosen from three groups: anonymous poems from older and more recent times; poems from the period of the 《six poetic sages》 (Rokkasen; mid-9th century); and poems by the compilers and their contemporaries. The six poetic sages, who attained their status by having been discussed in Tsurayuki's preface, include Bishop Henjo (17 poems), Ariwara no Narihira (30 poems), Fun'ya no Yasuhide (or Bun'ya no Yasuhide; 5 poems), Priest Kisen (1 poem), Ono no Komachi (18 poems), and Otomo no Kuronushi (3 poems). The compilers themselves are represented by 244 poems: Tsurayuki, with over 100, has more poems than any other poet; Tadamine, with 36, is the least represented of the compilers. Another 6 poets, including Lady Ise and Priest Sosei, are represented by 10 or more poems each, accounting for 121 poems in all. Over 120 named poets are represented, including almost 100 men and almost 30 women; however, more than 450 anonymous poems, some of great attractiveness, make up the largest single group in the collection.