Man'yōshū
Oldest extant collection of Japanese waka poetry.
The anthology is one of the most revered of Japan's poetic compilations. The compiler, or the last in a series of compilers, is today widely believed to be Ōtomo no Yakamochi, although numerous other theories have been proposed.
- number_of_poems
- more than 4,500
- volumes
- 20
- genres
- Zoka, Somonka, Banka
- compiler
- Ōtomo no Yakamochi (widely believed, but disputed)
- language
- Classical Japanese (Western Old Japanese, with Eastern dialect poems)
- known_for
- oldest extant Japanese waka collection; uses man'yōgana writing system
Lore & Background
The Man'yōshū comprises more than 4,500 waka poems in 20 volumes, broadly divided into three genres: Zoka (songs at banquets and trips), Somonka (songs about love between men and women), and Banka (songs to mourn the death of people). These songs were written by people of various statuses, such as the Emperor, aristocrats, junior officials, Sakimori soldiers, street performers, peasants, and Togoku folk singers. More than 2,100 poems are by unknown authors. Unlike later collections such as the Kokin Wakashū, there is no preface.
Reader's Guide
The Man'yōshū is widely regarded as a particularly unique Japanese work, though its poems and passages did not differ starkly from contemporaneous Chinese literary standards; many entries have a continental tone, with earlier poems showing Confucian or Taoist themes and later ones reflecting Buddhist teachings. However, it is considered singular in choosing primarily Ancient Japanese themes, extolling Shintō virtues of forthrightness (makoto) and virility (masuraoburi). The language of many entries exerts a powerful sentimental appeal, described as having 'the freshness of dawn' with irregularities like hypometric lines, evocative place names and makurakotoba, and exclamations such as kamo. The compilation also preserves the names of earlier Japanese poetic compilations, including the Ruijū Karin, several Kokashū texts, and at least four family or individual anthologies belonging to Kakimoto no Hitomaro, Kasa no Kanamura, Takahashi no Mushimaro, and Tanabe no Sakimaro. The collection is customarily divided into four periods, from the time of Emperor Yūryaku to the work of the compiler Ōtomo no Yakamochi himself.
Did You Know?
- The Man'yōshū uses the earliest Japanese writing system, man'yōgana, which influenced the creation of hiragana and katakana.
- The collection contains more than 2,100 poems by unknown authors.
- The precise significance of the title 'Man'yōshū' is not known with certainty, with interpretations including 'a book that collects a great many poems' and 'a book for all generations.'
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