Collection of Ancient and Modern Japanese Poems

Name: Collection of Ancient and Modern Japanese Poems
ISBN: 9787532776887

纪贯之 / 王向远 / 郭尔雅Shanghai Translation Publishing House · ChinaAug 2018

4.2

Word count: 86K words
Chapters: 26
ISBN: 9787532776887

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Summary

1. The Kokin Wakashū (Collection of Japanese Poems Ancient and Modern), commonly abbreviated as the Kokinshū, is the second imperial anthology of waka poetry after the Man'yōshū and the first compiled by imperial command—often called the Japanese equivalent of the Classic of Poetry. 2. The anthology selects over 1,100 waka, demonstrating the high artistic maturity of the form and establishing a delicate, graceful, romantic, and aesthetic "Kokin style" wholly distinct from the robust "Man'yō style," laying the foundation for later imperial anthologies. 3. Its preface marks the formation of waka poetics, and together with the Man'yōshū and the Shin Kokinshū it is widely recognized as one of the three most important classical waka anthologies in Japanese literary history.

4. In content the Kokinshū reflects aristocratic sensibilities and a more refined style, while retaining echoes of the Man'yōshū. Of its 20 scrolls and 1,100 poems, love poems occupy 5 scrolls and 360 poems—nearly a third of the total. The 20 scrolls collect works by about 130 poets: 1,100 poems in all, including 5 long poems and 4 sedōka, the rest being tanka. The anthology is divided into sections on spring, summer, autumn, winter, congratulations, parting, travel, things' names, love, mourning, miscellaneous poems, miscellaneous forms (long poems, sedōka, haikai poems), Ōutadokoro no on'uta, and kagura songs.

Editor's review

As Japan's first imperial waka anthology, the Kokin Wakashū holds milestone significance in Japanese literary history. This edition from Shanghai Translation Publishing House, translated and extensively annotated by a renowned scholar, opens a reliable path for Chinese readers to understand the essence of classical Japanese poetry. In the editor's view, the book's value extends far beyond the poems themselves: it is a cultural treasury embodying the aesthetic sensibility and social life of the Heian period. The more than 1,100 waka collected here—on themes of the four seasons, travel, love, and mourning—with their condensed language and restrained emotion, form the source of Japan's distinctive mono no aware aesthetic. The prefaces by Ki no Tsurayuki and other compilers are important early documents of Japanese literary criticism, expounding the nature and function of waka. The annotations are detailed, explaining not only words and allusions but also compositional contexts and varying interpretations, greatly lowering the difficulty of reading classical verse. For serious literary enthusiasts or researchers, the book offers authentic texts and scholarly support; for general readers, it offers a glimpse of seasonal scenes and subtle feelings carried across a thousand years. Reading it requires some patience, but what is gained is a direct apprehension of the deeper logic of Japanese culture.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with a strong interest in classical Japanese literature and culture
Scholars and students engaged in comparative literature or East Asian cultural studies
Poetry lovers seeking to refine their literary sensibility and savor restrained, condensed beauty
Creators who wish to understand an aesthetic style (such as mono no aware or yūgen) from its source

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking light entertainment or fast-paced narrative
Readers entirely unfamiliar with Japanese history and culture who are unwilling to consult supplementary materials

Reading tips

Begin with the two prefaces—the kana preface and the mana preface—to understand the compilers' core literary ideas
There is no need to read straight through; start with a season or theme of interest (such as spring, autumn, or love)
Read alongside the annotations and imagine the scenes and emotions behind the poems to better appreciate their resonance

About the publisher

Shanghai Translation Publishing House China · Founded in 1978

Shanghai Translation Publishing House is a Chinese publisher oriented mainly toward translation and publishing. Its publications cover foreign literature, world classics and classic works, as well as social culture, folk literature and classical poetry. The database contains 2,618 titles, including Never Let Me Go, Les Misérables (2 volumes), Don Quixote (illustrated collector's edition), The Complete Comedies of Molière (4 volumes), The Complete Novels of Kafka (3 volumes), The Collected Works of Dostoevsky (9-volume set), Reason and Persons, and Oedipus Rex (Translation Classics). Its author resources include foreign writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Victor Hugo, Cervantes and Molière, as well as translators such as Zheng Kelu, Sun Jiameng, Li Jianwu and Zhang Kun. The publisher has brands such as "Translation Classics Selections" and "Translation Documentary," and emphasizes translated works in foreign literature and the humanities and social sciences, while also publishing bilingual dictionaries and foreign-language educational books. Public information is limited; the above is based on the book information in the database.

版权信息
译本序
真名序
假名序
第一卷春歌（上）
第二卷春歌（下）
第三卷夏歌
第四卷秋歌（上）
第五卷秋歌（下）
第六卷冬歌
第七卷贺歌
第八卷离别歌
第九卷羁旅歌
第十卷物名歌
第十一卷恋歌（一）
第十二卷恋歌（二）
第十三卷恋歌（三）
第十四卷恋歌（四）
第十五卷恋歌（五）
第十六卷哀伤歌
第十七卷杂歌（上）
第十八卷杂歌（下）
第十九卷杂体歌
第二十卷大歌所御歌·神乐歌·东歌
附：墨灭歌
译者后记

FAQ

What are the main differences between the Kokin Wakashū and the Man'yōshū?

The Man'yōshū is Japan's oldest waka anthology, plain and vigorous in style, with contributors drawn from a wide range of social classes. The Kokin Wakashū is the first imperial anthology, compiled in the Heian period, with a style that turns toward elegance, delicacy, and technical refinement; it established the model for later waka and has a more pronounced aristocratic character.

What are the features of this translation?

Based on authoritative Japanese critical editions, the translation strives to convey the original meaning and imagery accurately, and includes extensive scholarly annotations covering lexical explanation, background, and various critical views. Its scholarly value is high, making it suitable for in-depth reading.

Can I understand it without a foundation in classical Japanese literature?

The detailed annotations are a great help to beginners. Supplementing them with an accessible book on the history and culture of Heian Japan is recommended for a fuller understanding.

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About the author

纪贯之 Author

Ki no Tsurayuki was a poet and scholar of waka in the early Heian period of Japan, and one of the most important compilers in the history of Japanese literature. Publicly available information about his life is limited, and his exact birth and death years and specific experiences are difficult to verify. The library holds two related works, namely the Kokin Wakashū and Kokin Wakashū 300. The former is Japan's first imperially commissioned anthology of waka; Tsurayuki took part in compiling it and wrote its kana preface, which was groundbreaking in the history of Japanese literary criticism and waka theory. The latter selects three hundred poems from the anthology, making this classical collection more approachable for today's readers. His waka continue the elegant tradition of the early Heian period, valuing lingering sentiment and delicate feeling, with concise and restrained language. Tsurayuki is also known as an early practitioner of kana prose, and he had a profound influence on the development of Japanese national literature.

王向远 Author

Wang Xiangyuan is an author whose works touch on foreign literature, comparative literature, and Japanese cultural studies. Public information about him is limited, and a complete account of his life is not available, but the ten works collected here indicate his main areas of interest. On one hand, he translates or introduces Japanese literature and aesthetics, as seen in Confessions of a Mask, Japanese Aesthetics (two-volume set), Yūgen, Mono no Aware, and Sabi, Flower Wind and Yūgen, as well as classical waka anthologies such as the Kokin Wakashū and the Shin Kokin Wakashū. On the other hand, he engages in theoretical reflection on comparative literature, with works including Nineteen Lectures on Macro Comparative Literature and The Structure of Comparative Literature. His writing spans literary appreciation, classical poetry, and social culture, addressing both specialist and general readers, and offers reference value in introducing Japanese aesthetic concepts and organizing comparative literature methods.

郭尔雅 Author

Guo Erya is an author about whom limited public information is available. Three works by this author can be confirmed in the library: A History of Modern Japanese Literature, Kokin Wakashū, and The Aesthetics of Fūryū. These titles suggest that the author's main interests lie in the translation, introduction, and appreciation of Japanese literature and classical poetry, while also touching on social culture and aesthetic ideas. A History of Modern Japanese Literature points to an overview of the development of modern and contemporary Japanese literature, Kokin Wakashū concerns the presentation of Japan's classical waka tradition, and The Aesthetics of Fūryū turns to the aesthetic concept of fūryū, exploring its meaning and evolution. Overall, Guo Erya's writing spans literary history, classical poetry appreciation, and social and cultural observation, and is informative and accessible, making it suitable for readers interested in Japanese literature and traditional aesthetics.