The Kokinwakashū (or the Kokinshū for short), the ‘Collection of Japanese Poetry Ancient and Modern’, was the first of the 21 anthologies of waka compiled at imperial command (chokusenshû). The idea of an imperial waka anthology as a ‘modern’ successor to the Man’yôshû was first mooted by Emperor Uda (867-931; r. 887-897), and eventually commissioned by Emperor Daigo (885-930; r. 897-930). He gave the commission to Ki no Tsurayuki, Ki no Tomonori, Ōshikōchi no Mitsune and Mibu no Tadamine, who chose about 1,111 poems, completing the anthology between 915 and 920.
The collection is principally one of tanka, with only a few poems in other formats, and follows the pattern of the Man’yōshū by being divided into 20 books. A new development, however, is that all the poems in a particular book are on a set poetic topic, as follows:
| 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 (haru no uta) Spring II Summer (natsu no uta) Autumn I (aki no uta) Autumn II Winter (fuyu no uta) Felicitations (ga no uta) Partings (wakare no uta) Travel (tabi no uta) Acrostics (mono no na no uta) Love I (koi no uta) Love II Love III Love IV Love V Laments (aishō no uta) Miscellaneous I (kusagusa no uta) Miscellaneous II Miscellaneous Forms (zattei no uta) Poems from the Bureau of Poetry (Ōutadokoro no on’uta) |
The collection, therefore, divides into two halves, the first beginning with poems on the most important topic, the seasons, and the second with the next-most important, Love. This 20 Book format was to set the model for the majority of future collections, as was the decision by the compilers to include both ‘ancient’ and ‘modern’ waka in the anthology.
The Kokinshū also has two prefaces: a Japanese one written by Ki no Tsurayuki and a Chinese one by Ki no Yoshimochi. Tsurayuki’s preface is regarded as being the first work of Japanese poetic criticism, setting out criteria for judging poems, giving terminology and making suggestions about poets who were to be regarded as superior. In particular, he mentions the ‘Six Poetic Sages’ (rokkasen): Archbishop Henjô, Ariwara no Narihira, Fun’ya no Yasuhide, The Monk Kisen, Ono no Komachi and Ôtomo no Kuronushi.
The principal poets of the collection (those with more that 5 poems included) are: Tsurayuki (102), Mitsune (60), Tomonori (46), Tadamine (36), the Monk Sosei (36), Narihira (30), Ise (22), Fujiwara no Tomoyuki (19), Komachi (18), Henjō (17), Kiyowara no Fukayabu (17), Fujiwara no Okikaze (17), Ariwara no Motokata (14), Ōe no Chisato (10), Sakaoue no Korenori (8).
It is difficult to overstate the influence of the Kokinshū on subsequent waka: its organisation, to a large extent, determined the organisation of later anthologies, its topics became regarded as the only appropriate ones for poetry and its imagery became the source on which most later work was based. The primacy it accounts to the seasons is still the case in modern haiku, while the progression of its poems influenced the development of renga. Similarly, the ideas laid out by Tsurayuki in his preface formed the basis for the majority of Japanese poetic criticism until the modern period.
Nevertheless, the anthology has been heavily criticised in recent times for being overly influenced by Chinese forms and ideas, and lacking the freshness and directness of Man’yō poetry. This is true to some extent, but it is also the case that it was the first anthology compiled when there was an awareness that there was such a thing as waka, Japanese poetry (yamato uta) which was somehow different from the Chinese poetry (kara uta) the court had brought in from overseas, and that it contains numerous fine examples of lyrical expression.
For more detailed information on the Kokinshū, follow this link to the introduction written by Professor Lewis Cook for the Japanese E-Text Initiative edition of the Kokinshū text.
The following Kokinshū poems are included on this site:
Book I: Spring 1
Book II: Spring 2
Book III: Summer
Book IV: Autumn I
Book V: Autumn 2
| KKS V: 299 KKS V: 300 KKS V: 301 KKS V: 302 KKS V: 303 KKS V: 304 KKS V: 305 KKS V: 306 KKS V: 307 KKS V: 308 | KKS V: 309 KKS V: 310 KKS V: 311 KKS V: 312 KKS V: 313 |
Book VI: Winter
Book VII: Felicitations
| KKS VII: 343 KKS VII: 344 KKS VII: 345 KKS VII: 346 KKS VII: 347 KKS VII: 348 | KKS VII: 349 KKS VII: 350 KKS VII: 351 KKS VII: 352 KKS VII: 353 KKS VII: 354 | KKS VII: 355 KKS VII: 356 KKS VII: 357 KKS VII: 358 KKS VII: 359 KKS VII: 360 | KKS VII: 361 KKS VII: 362 KKS VII: 363 KKS VII: 364 |
Book VIII: Partings
| KKS VIII: 365 KKS VIII: 366 KKS VIII: 367 KKS VIII: 368 KKS VIII: 369 KKS VIII: 370 KKS VIII: 371 KKS VIII: 372 KKS VIII: 373 KKS VIII: 374 KKS VIII: 375 | KKS VIII: 376 KKS VIII: 377 KKS VIII: 378 KKS VIII: 379 KKS VIII: 380 KKS VIII: 381 KKS VIII: 382 KKS VIII: 383 KKS VIII: 384 KKS VIII: 385 KKS VIII: 386 | KKS VIII: 387 KKS VIII: 388 KKS VIII: 389 KKS VIII: 390 KKS VIII: 391 KKS VIII: 392 KKS VIII: 393 KKS VIII: 394 KKS VIII: 395 KKS VIII: 366 KKS VIII: 397 | KKS VIII: 398 KKS VIII: 399 KKS VIII: 400 KKS VIII: 401 KKS VIII: 402 KKX VIII: 403 KKS VIII: 404 KKS VIII: 405 |
Book IX: Travel
| KKS IX: 406 KKS IX: 407 KKS IX: 408 KKS IX: 409 KKS IX: 410 | KKS IX: 411 KKS IX: 412 KKS IX: 413 KKS IX: 414 KKS IX: 415 | KKS IX: 416 KKS IX: 417 KKS IX: 418 KKS IX: 419 KKS IX: 420 | KKS IX: 421 |
Book X: Acrostics
| KKS X: 422 KKS X: 423 KKS X: 424 KKS X: 425 KKS X: 426 KKS X: 427 KKS X: 428 KKS X: 429 KKS X: 430 KKS X: 431 | KKS X: 432 KKS X: 433 KKS X: 434 KKS X: 435 KKS X: 436 KKS X: 437 KKS X: 438 KKS X: 439 KKS X: 440 KKS X: 441 | KKS X: 442 KKS X: 443 KKS X: 444 KKS X: 445 KKS X: 446 KKS X: 447 KKS X: 448 KKS X: 449 KKS X: 450 KKS X: 451 | KKS X: 452 KKS X: 453 KKS X: 454 KKS X: 455 KKS X: 456 KKS X: 457 KKS X: 458 KKS X: 459 KKS X: 460 KKS X: 461 | KKS X: 462 KKS X: 463 KKS X: 464 KKS X: 465 KKS X: 466 KKS X: 468 KKS X: 469 |
Book XI: Love 1
| KKS XI: 469 KKS XI: 470 KKS XI: 471 KKS XI: 472 KKS XI: 473 KKS XI: 474 KKS XI: 475 KKS XI: 476 KKS XI: 477 KKS XI: 478 KKS XI: 479 KKS XI: 480 KKS XI: 481 KKS XI: 482 KKS XI: 483 KKS XI: 484 KKS XI: 485 | KKS XI: 486 KKS XI: 487 KKS XI: 488 KKS XI: 489 KKS XI: 490 KKS XI: 491 KKS XI: 492 KKS XI: 493 KKS XI: 494 KKS XI: 495 KKS XI: 496 KKS XI: 497 KKS XI: 498 KKS XI: 499 KKS XI: 500 KKS XI: 501 KKS XI: 502 | KKS XI: 503 KKS XI: 504 KKS XI: 505 KKS XI: 506 KKS XI: 507 KKS XI: 508 KKS XI: 509 KKS XI: 510 KKS XI: 511 KKS XI: 512 KKS XI: 513 KKS XI: 514 KKS XI: 515 KKS XI: 516 KKS XI: 517 KKS XI: 518 KKS XI: 519 | KKS XI: 520 KKS XI: 521 KKS XI: 522 KKS XI: 523 KKS XI: 524 KKS XI: 525 KKS XI: 526 KKS XI: 527 KKS XI: 528 KKS XI: 529 KKS XI: 530 KKS XI: 531 KKS XI: 532 KKS XI: 533 KKS XI: 534 KKS XI: 535 KKS XI: 536 | KKS XI: 537 KKS XI: 538 KKS XI: 539 KKS XI: 540 KKS XI: 541 KKS XI: 542 KKS XI: 543 KKS XI: 544 KKS XI: 546 KKS XI: 547 KKS XI: 548 KKS XI: 549 KKS XI: 550 KKS XI: 551 |
Book XII: Love 2
Book XIII: Love 3
| KKS XIII: 616 KKS XIII: 617 KKS XIII: 618 KKS XIII: 619 KKS XIII: 620 KKS XIII: 621 KKS XIII: 622 KKS XIII: 623 KKS XIII: 624 KKS XIII: 625 KKS XIII: 626 KKS XIII: 627 KKS XIII: 628 KKS XIII: 629 KKS XIII: 630 KKS XIII: 631 KKS XIII: 632 KKS XIII: 633 KKS XIII: 634 KKS XIII: 635 KKS XIII: 636 | KKS XIII: 637 KKS XIII: 638 KKS XIII: 639 KKS XIII: 640 KKS XIII: 641 KKS XIII: 642 KKS XIII: 643 KKS XIII: 644 KKS XIII: 645 KKS XIII: 646 KKS XIII: 647 KKS XIII: 648 KKS XIII: 649 KKS XIII: 650 KKS XIII: 651 KKS XIII: 652 KKS XIII: 653 KKS XIII: 654 KKS XIII: 655 KKS XIII: 656 KKS XIII: 657 | KKS XIII: 658 KKS XIII: 659 KKS XIII: 660 KKS XIII: 661 KKS XIII: 662 KKS XIII: 663 KKS XIII: 664 KKS XIII: 665 KKS XIII: 666 KKS XIII: 667 KKS XIII: 668 KKS XIII: 669 KKS XIII: 670 KKS XIII: 671 KKS XIII: 672 KKS XIII: 673 KKS XIII: 674 KKS XIII: 675 KKS XIII: 676 |
Book XIV: Love 4
| KKS XIV: 677 KKS XIV: 678 KKS XIV: 679 KKS XIV: 680 KKS XIV: 681 KKS XIV: 682 KKS XIV: 683 KKS XIV: 684 KKS XIV: 685 KKS XIV: 686 KKS XIV: 687 KKS XIV: 688 KKS XIV: 689 KKS XIV: 690 KKS XIV: 691 KKS XIV: 692 KKS XIV: 693 KKS XIV: 694 KKS XIV: 695 KKS XIV: 696 KKS XIV: 697 KKS XIV: 698 KKS XIV: 699 KKS XIV: 700 KKS XIV: 701 KKS XIV: 702 KKS XIV: 703 KKS XIV: 704 KKS XIV: 705 KKS XIV: 706 KKS XIV: 707 KKS XIV: 708 KKS XIV: 709 KKS XIV: 710 KKS XIV: 711 | KKS XIV: 712 KKS XIV: 713 KKS XIV: 714 KKS XIV: 715 KKS XIV: 716 KKS XIV: 717 KKS XIV: 718 KKS XIV: 719 KKS XIV: 720 KKS XIV: 721 KKS XIV: 722 KKS XIV: 723 KKS XIV: 724 KKS XIV: 725 KKS XIV: 726 KKS XIV: 727 KKS XIV: 728 KKS XIV: 729 KKS XIV: 730 KKS XIV: 731 KKS XIV: 732 KKS XIV: 733 KKS XIV: 734 KKS XIV: 735 KKS XIV: 736 KKS XIV: 737 KKS XIV: 738 KKS XIV: 739 KKS XIV: 740 KKS XIV: 741 KKS XIV: 742 KKS XIV: 743 KKS XIV: 744 KKS XIV: 745 KKS XIV: 746 |
Book XV: Love 5
| KKS XV: 747 KKS XV: 748 KKS XV: 749 KKS XV: 750 KKS XV: 751 KKS XV: 752 KKS XV: 753 KKS XV: 754 KKS XV: 755 KKS XV: 756 KKS XV: 757 KKS XV: 758 KKS XV: 759 KKS XV: 760 KKS XV: 761 KKS XV: 762 KKS XV: 763 KKS XV: 764 KKS XV: 765 KKS XV: 765 KKS XV: 766 KKS XV: 768 KKS XV: 769 KKS XV: 770 KKS XV: 771 KKS XV: 772 KKS XV: 773 KKS XV: 774 | KKS XV: 775 KKS XV: 776 KKS XV: 777 KKS XV: 778 KKS XV: 779 KKS XV: 780 KKS XV: 781 KKS XV: 782 KKS XV: 783 KKS XV: 784 KKS XV: 785 KKS XV: 786 KKS XV: 787 KKS XV: 788 KKS XV: 789 KKS XV: 790 KKS XV: 791 KKS XV: 792 KKS XV: 793 KKS XV: 794 KKS XV: 795 KKS XV: 796 KKS XV: 797 KKS XV: 798 KKS XV: 799 KKS XV: 800 KKS XV: 801 KKS XV: 802 | KKS XV: 803 KKS XV: 804 KKS XV: 805 KKS XV: 806 KKS XV: 807 KKS XV: 808 KKS XV: 809 KKS XV: 810 KKS XV: 811 KKS XV: 812 KKS XV: 813 KKS XV: 814 KKS XV: 815 KKS XV: 816 KKS XV: 817 KKS XV: 818 KKS XV: 819 KKS XV: 820 KKS XV: 821 KKS XV: 822 KKS XV: 823 KKS XV: 824 KKS XV: 825 KKS XV: 826 KKS XV: 827 KKS XV: 828 |