Kokinshu: A Collection of Poems Ancient and Modern, Including a Study of Chinese Influences on the Kokinshu Prefaces, and an Annotated Translation of the Chinese Preface (Princeton Library of Asian Translations)

ix, 442 pp. This book is the first complete translation of the tenth-century work Kokinshu, one of the most important anthologies of the Japanese classical tradition. The Kokin Wakashu ("Collection of Japanese Poems of Ancient and Modern Times"), commonly abbreviated as Kokinshu, is an early anthology of the waka form of Japanese poetry, dating from the Heian period. An imperial anthology, it was conceived by Emperor Uda (r. 887–897) and published by order of his son Emperor Daigo (r. 897–930) in about 905. Its finished form dates to c. 920, though according to several historical accounts the last poem was added to the collection in 914. The compilers of the anthology were four court poets, led by Ki no Tsurayuki and also including Ki no Tomonori (who died before its completion), Oshikochi no Mitsune, and Mibu no Tadamine.