Kokin Wakashū

The Kokin Wakashū is an earliest and influential collection of Japanese poetry compiled in 905 during the Heian period. Commissioned by Emperor Daigo, it gathers about 1,200 poems from various poets, arranged themes reflecting seasons, love, and nature. It aims to showcase poetic excellence and cultural refinement, serving as both a literary anthology and a standard for poetic aesthetics. Its sophisticated language and structure significantly shaped Japanese poetry, influencing later works and establishing formal poetic conventions still appreciated today.