The , sometimes abbreviated as ''Kin'yōshū'', is a Japanese imperial anthology of

waka Waka may refer to: Culture and language * Waka (canoe), a Polynesian word for canoe; especially, canoes of the Māori of New Zealand ** Waka ama, a Polynesian outrigger canoe ** Waka hourua, a Polynesian ocean-going canoe ** Waka taua, a Māori w ...

whose two drafts were finished in 1124 and 1127. It was compiled at the behest of the

Retired Emperor Retired Emperor, Grand Emperor, or Emperor Emeritus is a title occasionally used by the monarchical regimes in the Sinosphere for former emperors who had (at least in name) abdicated voluntarily to another member of the same clan, usually their s ...

Shirakawa, by

Minamoto no Shunrai was an important and innovative Japanese poet, who compiled the ''Gosen Wakashū''. He was the son of Minamoto no Tsunenobu (1016–1097); holder of the second rank in court and of the position of Grand Counsellor). Shunrai was favored by Empero ...

(~1055–1129; sometimes called ''Toshiyori'') It consists of ten volumes containing 716 poems. The ''Kin'yō Wakashū'' is one of the shortest anthologies. Shunrai's unusually liberal and innovative tastes were disliked by Shirakawa, and thus Shirakawa rejected "at least two drafts". The final compromise is nevertheless remarkably contemporary and descriptive.

References

*pg. 483 of ''Japanese Court Poetry'',

Earl Miner Earl Roy Miner (February 21, 1927 – April 17, 2004) was a professor at Princeton University, and a noted scholar of Japanese literature and especially Japanese poetry; he was also active in early modern English literature (for instance, his obit ...

, Robert H. Brower. 1961,

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is conside ...

Press, LCCN 61-10925 Japanese poetry anthologies Late Old Japanese texts Heian period in literature 12th-century Japanese books {{Japan-lit-stub