The Senzaiwakashū (or the Senzaishū for short), the ‘Collection (of Japanese Poetry) for a Thousand Years’, was the seventh of the 21 anthologies of waka compiled at imperial command (chokusenshū). Commissioned in 1183 by Emperor Goshirakawa (1127-1192; r. 1155-1158) and presented in 1187, it was compiled by Fujiwara no Toshinari (or more familiarly Shunzei) (1114-1204). The anthology follows the pattern of the Kokinshū, being composed of 20 books, and includes a preface written by Shunzei himself:
| 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 Summer Autumn I Autumn II Winter Parting Travel Laments Felicitations Love I Love II Love III Love IV Love V Miscellaneous I Miscellaneous II Miscellaneous III Buddhism (shakkyōka) Shintō (jingi) |
The 20 Books contain a total of 1,287 poems, by a total of 235 named poets. Shunzei had catholic tastes, and so the collection ranges from the conservative to the innovative, and marks the first appearance by two of Japan’s greatest poets: the Monk Saigyō and Fujiwara no Teika.
The principal poets of the collection (those with more than 5 poems included) are: Minamoto no Toshiyori (Shunrai) (52), Fujiwara no Toshinari (Shunzei) (36), Fujiwara no Mototoshi (26), Emperor Sutoku (23), Shun’e (22), Izumi Shikibu (21), Fujiwara no Kiyosuke (20), Dôin (20), En’i (Saigyō) (18), Ōe no Masafusa (17), Fujiwara no Sanesada (16), Fujiwara no Kanezane (15), Fujiwara no Suemichi (15), Taikenmon’in no Horikawa (15), Fujiwara no Akisuke (14), Minamoto no Yorimasa (14), Kakushō (13), Kenshō (13), Fujiwara no Kintō (11), Fujiwara no Kin’yoshi (10), Fujiwara no Norinaga (10), Kakuchû (9), Jien (9), Princess Shokushi (9), Shukaku (9), Fujiwara no Chikataka (9), Dōmyō (9), Jōsaimon’in no Hyōe (9), Murasaki Shikibu (9), Fujiwara no Sada’ie (Teika) (8), Fujiwara no Sane’ie (8), Higo (8), Fujiwara no Kinzane (7), Emperor Goshirakawa (7), Kamo no Shigeyasu (7), Jakuren (7), Fujiwara no Takanobu (7), Fujiwara no Tadamichi (7), Fujiwara no Toshitada (7), Fujiwara no Nagayoshi (Nagatō) (7), Haburibe no Narinaka (7), Minamoto no Nakamasa (7), Emperor Nijō (7), Fujiwara no Yoshitsune (7), Akazome Emon (6), Fujiwara no Akisue (6), Fujiwara no Kinmitsu (6), Fujiwara no Sanekuni (6), Fujiwara no Sanefusa (6), Jakuzen (Jakunen) (6), Jōken (Seiken) (6), Minamoto no Nakatsuna (6), Minamoto no Masamichi (6), Minamoto no Michichika (6), Minamoto no Michitsune (6) and Minamoto no Moromitsu (6).
The following poems from the Senzaishū are on WakaPoetry.net:
Book I:
| SZS I: 1 SZS I: 3 SZS I: 11 | SZS I: 28 SZS I: 29 SZS I: 32 SZS I: 46 | SZS I: 53 SZS I: 56 SZS I: 66 SZS I: 69 | SZS I: 76 |
Book II:
Book III:
| SZS III: 136 SZS III: 137 SZS III: 161 | SZS III: 169 SZS III: 172 SZS III: 173 | SZS III: 174 SZS III: 175 SZS III: 176 | SZS III: 201 SZS III: 202 SZS III: 218 |
Book IV:
| SZS IV: 233 SZS IV: 242 SZS IV: 249 SZS IV: 256 SZS IV: 259 | SZS IV: 265 SZS IV: 267 SZS IV: 271 SZS IV: 272 SZS IV: 276 | SZS IV: 281 SZS IV: 291 SZS IV: 299 | SZS IV: 301 |
Book V:
Book VI:
Book VII:
Book VIII:
| SZS VIII: 498 SZS VIII: 504 SZS VIII: 511 | SZS VIII: 516 SZS VIII: 522 | SZS VIII: 532 | SZS VIII: 533 SZS VIII: 544 |
Book IX:
Book X:
Book XI:
Book XII:
| SZS XII: 708 SZS XII: 709 SZS XII: 727 | SZS XII: 737 | SZS XII: 745 | SZS XII: 760 SZS XII: 765 SZS XII: 766 SZS XII: 776 |
Book XIII:
| SZS XIII: 795 SZS XIII: 802 SZS XIII: 807 | SZS XIII: 809 SZS XIII: 810 | SZS XIII: 820 SZS XIII: 825 | SZS XIII: 836 |
Book XIV:
| SZS XIV: 845 SZS XIV: 852 | SZS XIV: 873 SZS XIV: 875 | SZS XIV: 876 | SZS XIV: 878 SZS XIV: 880 SZS XIV: 885 SZS XIV: 886 |
Book XV:
Book XVI:
| SZS XVI: 940 SZS XVI: 961 | SZS XVI: 962 | SZS XVI: 964 SZS XVI: 966 | SZS XVI: 971 SZS XVI: 977 SZS XVI: 981 SZS XVI: 994 SZS XVI: 1026 SZS XVI: 1031 SZS XVI: 1038 SZS XVI: 1039 |
Book XVII:
Book XVIII:
| SZS XVIII: 1163 SZS XVIII: 1169 | SZS XVIII: 1170 | SZS XVIII: 1171 SZS XVIII: 1174 | SZS XVIII: 1182 SZS XVIII: 1192 |