Man'yōshū
Oldest extant collection of Japanese waka poetry.
The *Man’yōshū* (万葉集), meaning “Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves,” is the oldest surviving anthology of Japanese *waka* poetry, compiled after 759 during the Nara period. Its final compiler is widely thought to be Ōtomo no Yakamochi, though other theories exist. The latest datable poem is from 759 (No. 4516), but many poems are much older, with most dating from between 600 and 759. The exact meaning of the title is uncertain.
The collection contains over 4,500 *waka* in 20 volumes, divided into three genres: *zōka* (songs for banquets and travel), *sōmonka* (love songs between men and women), and *banka* (funeral laments). Poets came from all levels of society—emperors, aristocrats, junior officials, *sakimori* soldiers, street performers, peasants, and *togoku* folk singers. More than 2,100 poems are by unknown authors.
The 20 books include 265 *chōka* (long poems), 4,207 *tanka* (short poems), one *an-renga* (short connecting poem), one *bussokusekika* (a 5-7-5-7-7-7 form), four *kanshi* (Chinese poems), and 22 Chinese prose passages. Unlike later collections like the *Kokin Wakashū*, it has no preface.
Though its poems show Chinese literary influence—Confucian, Taoist, and later Buddhist themes—the *Man’yōshū* is considered uniquely Japanese, emphasizing ancient themes and Shintō virtues of forthrightness (*makoto*) and virility (*masuraoburi*). Its language has a powerful sentimental appeal, described as having “the freshness of dawn,” with irregularities like hypometric lines, evocative place names, *makurakotoba*, and exclamations such as *kamo*.
The compilation preserves names of earlier poetic works: the *Ruijū Karin* (Forest of Classified Verses), several *Kokashū* (Collections of Antique Poems), and four family or individual anthologies (*kashū*) by Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, Kasa no Kanamura, Takahashi no Mushimaro, and Tanabe no Sakimaro.
**Name**
The title’s kanji (万葉集) literally mean “ten thousand—leaves—collection.” Scholar Sen’ichi Hisamatsu summarized three main interpretations: (1) a book collecting many poems; (2) a book for all generations; (3) a poetry collection using a large volume of paper. Supporters of the first interpretation split between those who read “leaves” as “words” (*koto no ha*, meaning “many waka”) and those who take it as a metaphor for poems. The second interpretation includes views that it was meant to last forever, to wish long life for the emperor and empress, or to indicate poems from all ages. The third interpretation, proposed by Yūkichi Takeda, has gained little support.
**Periodization**
The collection is divided into four periods. The earliest spans from the legendary Emperor Yūryaku (r. c. 456–479) through Emperors Yōmei, Saimei, and Tenji, during the Taika Reforms and Fujiwara no Kamatari’s time. The second period covers the late 7th century, featuring Kakinomoto no Hitomaro. The third period (700–c. 730) includes poets like Yamabe no Akahito, Ōtomo no Tabito, and Yamanoue no Okura. The fourth period (730–760) includes the compiler Ōtomo no Yakamochi, who wrote many original poems and edited or refashioned ancient ones.
- 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 is the oldest surviving collection of Japanese poetry, compiled sometime after 759 during the Nara period. It contains over 4,500 poems in 20 volumes, broadly divided into three genres: zōka (songs for banquets and travels), sōmonka (love songs between men and women), and banka (elegies mourning the dead). The poems were composed by people from many social levels, including emperors, aristocrats, junior officials, soldiers, street performers, peasants, and folk singers from the eastern provinces. More than 2,100 poems are by unknown authors. The collection includes 265 long poems, 4,207 short poems, one short connecting poem, one poem in a 5-7-5-7-7-7 form inscribed on Buddha’s footprints, four Chinese poems, and 22 Chinese prose passages. Unlike later anthologies such as the Kokin Wakashū, it has no preface. The compiler is widely believed to be Ōtomo no Yakamochi, though other theories exist. The chronologically last datable poem is from 759. The collection is customarily divided into four periods, from legendary times through the 8th century. It preserves the names of earlier poetic compilations, including several texts called the Kakyō and at least four family anthologies. The title literally means “ten thousand leaves collection,” with interpretations including a collection of many poems, a work for all generations, or one using a large volume of paper. Though influenced by Chinese literature and containing Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist themes, the Man'yōshū is considered uniquely Japanese for its emphasis on ancient themes and Shintō virtues.
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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