Kin'yō Wakashū
Kin'yō Wakashū, meaning “Collection of Golden Leaves” (also called Kin'yōshū), is the fifth imperial anthology of waka. Its two drafts were completed in 1124 and 1127, and it was compiled for Retired Emperor Shirakawa by Minamoto no Shunrai (also known as Toshiyori). The collection has ten volumes with 716 poems.
Shunrai produced three versions. The first, shodobon, favored poets from the earlier anthologies (Kokinshu, Gosenshu, Shuishu) and was conservative but not popular at court. The second, Nidobon, included poets of the current time and became the most widely circulated edition, despite Shirawaka’s rejection. The third, Sansōbon, tried to balance old and new. Although Shirawaka formally approved Sansōbon, its circulation was limited because both Shunrai and Shirakawa died within two years.
Kin'yō Wakashū is unusually short for an imperial anthology and reflects a more contemporary and descriptive style. Its creation happened during a time of political fragmentation, which influenced its aim to protect cultural power. The work differs from earlier anthologies by having ten volumes instead of twenty and by organizing poems into these categories: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Celebration, Separation, Love, and Miscellaneous.
The collection is noted for a more descriptive poetic style and for the first appearance of renga (linked verse) at the end of the book. Seasonal poetry is a major theme, with autumn dominating: out of 325 seasonal poems, 109 are about autumn. Topics also shift over time; for example, yellow valerian is common in Kokinshu but not in Kin'yō Wakashū, while the moon remains a recurring motif but becomes closely associated with autumn in this era.
Buddhist waka appear in the final Miscellaneous volume, though the volume covers more than just Buddhist themes. Many of these poems are by Buddhist priests and Shinto priestesses, and they often reflect Pure Land devotion.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 19:48 (CET).