The Gosenwakashū (or the Gosenshū for short), the ‘Later Selection of Japanese Poetry’, was the second of the 21 anthologies of waka compiled at imperial command (chokusenshū). Commissioned by Emperor Murakami (926-927; r. 946-967) and completed around 951, it was compiled by Ônakantomi no Yoshinobu, Kiyowara no Motosuke, Minamoto no Shitagō, Ki no Tokibumi and Sakanoe no Mochiki, who go by the collective title of the ‘Five Men of the Pear Jar Room’. The anthology follows the pattern of the Kokinshū, being composed of 20 books, but lacks a preface:

Book I Book II Book III Book IV Book V Book VI Book VII Book VIII Book IX Book X Book XI Book XII Book XIII Book XIV Book XV Book XVI Book XVII Book XVIII Book XIX Book XX

Spring I Spring II Spring III Summer Autumn I Autumn II Autumn III Winter Love I Love II Love III Love IV Love V Love VI Miscellaneous I Miscellaneous II Miscellaneous III Miscellaneous IV Partings/Travel Felicitations/Laments

The 20 Books contain a total of 1,426 poems. As its name suggests, it contains works by many of the same poets as its predecessor, but it is interesting for its many lengthy headnotes, seemingly added by the compilers to provide appropriate contexts for the poems.

The principal poets of the collection (those with more than 10 poems included) are: Tsurayuki (74), Ise (70), Mistsune (23), Fujiwara no Kanesuke (23), Taifu (16), Fujiwara no Tokihira (14), Fujiwara no Morosuke (13), Fujiwara no Nakahira (10), Fujiwara no Saneyori (10), Fujiwara no Atsutada (10) and Mibu no Tadamine (10).

The following Gosenshū poems are on WakaPoetry.net:

Book I: Spring 1

GSS I: 5 GSS I: 17

Book II: Spring 2

GSS II: 49 GSS II: 57

Book III: Spring 3

GSS III: 89 GSS III: 105

GSS III: 106 GSS III: 123

Book IV: Summer

GSS IV: 147 GSS IV: 159

GSS IV: 167 GSS IV: 168

GSS IV: 170 GSS IV: 185

GSS IV: 188 GSS IV: 194 GSS IV: 209

Book V: Autumn 1

GSS V: 223 GSS V: 224 GSS V: 252 GSS V: 262

Book VI: Autumn 2

GSS VI: 302 GSS VI: 309 GSS VI: 314 GSS VI: 332

Book VII: Autumn 3

GSS VII: 394 GSS VII: 395 GSS VII: 405

Book VIII: Winter

GSS VIII: 447

GSS VIII: 458

GSS VIII: 459 GSS VIII: 506

Book IX: Love 1

GSS IX: 508 GSS IX: 512 GSS IX: 515 GSS IX: 516 GSS IX: 522 GSS IX: 577

Book X: Love 2

GSS X: 606 GSS X: 621 GSS X: 628 GSS X: 661 GSS X: 682

Book XI: Love 3

GSS XI: 720 GSS XI: 744 GSS XI: 756 GSS XI: 757 GSS XI: 758 GSS XI: 773 GSS XI: 776 GSS XI: 779

Book XII: Love 4

GSS XII: 806 GSS XII: 808 GSS XII: 809 GSS XII: 830 GSS XII: 831 GSS XII: 833 GSS XII: 839 GSS XII: 885

Book XIII: Love 5

GSS XIII: 891 GSS XIII: 892 GSS XIII: 916 GSS XIII: 937 GSS XIII: 942 GSS XIII: 960 GSS XIII: 967

GSS XIII: 968 GSS XIII: 972 GSS XIII: 991

Book XIV: Love 6

GSS XIV: 1010 GSS XIV: 1020 GSS XIV: 1024

Book XV: Miscellaneous 1

GSS XV: 1075 GSS XV: 1083 GSS XV: 1089 GSS XV: 1090 GSS XV: 1097 GSS XV: 1102

Book XVI: Miscellaneous 2

GSS XVI: 1125 GSS XVI: 1131 GSS XVI: 1176 GSS XVI: 1178 GSS XVI: 1182

Book XVII: Miscellaneous 3

GSS XVII: 1195 GSS XVII: 1196 GSS XVII: 1231 GSS XVII: 1238 GSS XVII: 1240 GSS XVII: 1242 GSS XVII: 1244

Book XVIII: Miscellaneous 4

GSS XVIII: 1250 GSS XVIII: 1280 GSS XVIII: 1281 GSS XVIII: 1288 GSS XVIII: 1291 GSS XVIII: 1292 GSS XVIII: 1293

Book XIX: Partings/Travel

GSS XIX: 1313 GSS XIX: 1331 GSS XIX: 1352

GSS XIX: 1360

Book XX: Felicitations/Laments

GSS XX: 1373 GSS XX: 1386

GSS XX: 1420

GSS XX: 1421