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【国宝】古今和歌集(元永本) / Colbase

Kokin waka shu (Collection of Ancient and Modern Japanese Poetry)

Japan's first imperial anthology of Japanese poetry, completed early in the Heian period

       The Kokin waka shu was Japan's first imperial anthology of Japanese poetry, compiled by Ki no Tsurayuki, Ki no Tomonori, Oshikochi no Mitsune, and Mibu no Tadamine at the command of Emperor Daigo. The compilation appeared in 20 volumes and includes about 1,100 poems. Most of the poems are tanka (a Japanese poem of 5 verses with 5, 7, 5, 7, 7 kana syllables respectively), but the collection also includes 5 choka (a Japanese poem with verses of 5 and 7 kana syllables repeated at least 3 times, and usually ending with a verse of 7 kana syllables) and 4 sedoka (a Japanese poem of 6 verses with 5, 7, 7, 5, 7, 7 kana syllables respectively). The book has two introductions, one written in Japanese by Ki no Tsurayuki and one in Chinese said to have been written by Ki no Yoshimochi. These two introductions have some differences, but both discuss the essence of Japanese poetry, give its history, comment on the poetry of the Six Immortals (rokkasen), and present details about the compilation process. From the two introductions, we can gather that the work was completed around 905, and that the poems included in the anthology were written at various times from the end of the Nara period (710-794) to the beginning of the tenth century, when the Kokin waka shu was completed.

       The work is divided into sections that group together poems dealing with spring, summer, fall, winter, congratulations, parting, travel, puns, love, grief, miscellaneous subjects, miscellaneous forms (choka, sedoka, humorous haikai), and traditional poems from the Bureau of Poetry. This division became the norm for later collections of poetry, including imperial collections, beginning with the Gosen waka shu (Later Collection of Japanese Poems). The most noteworthy poets contributing to the Kokin waka shu were the two compilers Ki no Tsurayuki and Oshikochi no Mitsune, as well as the Six Immortals of Poetry, including the priest Henjo and Ariwara no Narihira, but around a quarter of the poems were written by unknown poets, especially poems of the earliest periods. The poets of the Kokin waka shu wrote in clever and subtle styles, making full use of expressive techniques. This style, known as the Kokin waka shu style, became the mainstream of Japanese poetry and has had great influence on Japanese literature, art, and aesthetics.

Related People, Things and Events

Books

Old manuscripts of Manyoshu (“Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves”)

Annotated editions of Kokin Wakashu ("Collection of Japanese Poems of Ancient and Modern Times")

Annotated editions of Kokin Wakashu ("Collection of Japanese Poems of Ancient and Modern Times")

Related Works

Old calligraphy fragments from Kokin Wakashu

Kokin Wakashu poets

Kokin Wakashu-themed designs

Videos

Past Exhibitions

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External Links

  • 古今和歌集の撰者で、土佐国司であった紀貫之の邸跡。『古今和歌集』の和歌32首にちなんだ草木と曲水の流れが配され、平安朝をテーマにした「古今集の庭」が隣接している。

  • 『古今和歌集』に収録されている1,111首の和歌をすべて掲載。

  • 高校教育課程の基礎を学ぶ「高校講座」(NHK)の『古今和歌集』の音声講座。講師は、聖光学院中学校高等学校教諭・内田洋氏。

References

  1. 藤平春男 [ほか]著,有斐閣
  2. 小学館
  3. 秋山虔, 三好行雄 編著,文英堂