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context: poetry > ancient

Kokinshu

The Kokinshu or Kokinwakashu, Collection of Ancient and Modern Verse, from c.914AD, has 1,111 poems by 124 named poets (plus lots of anonymous verses). It's arguably the first collection that is very much in a Japanese style rather than Chinese - this may have something to do with its having the first use of hiragana, indeed any phonetic script, in an official book. It was the first official imperial poetry anthology - these were very important in the centuries to come.

backwards: Man'yoshu

forwards: Shinkokinshu