Man’yōshū and Kokinshū National Pride and Identity

The Man’yōshū was compiled in the late 7th century and the first half of the 8th century and contains 4, 516 poems. Although the compiler of the Man’yōshū is unknown, it is believed that one of the major compilers was Ōtomo no Yakamochi. The Kokinwakashū, or more commonly known as the Kokinshū, contains 1, 111 poems and its compilation finished in ca. 905. The compilation of the Kokinshū was ordered by Emperor Daigo and the task was appointed to Ki no Tsurayuki, Ki no Tomonori, Ōshikōchi no Mitsune, and Mibu no Tadamine. At the time when the Man’yōshū was compiled, Japan saw its imperial government as being unstable and weak against a powerful country like China. On the other hand, as the Japanese government began to increase in imperial strength, the imperial government began to take over Japanese poetry. Because the Man’yōshū was not compiled by the imperial court and the Kokinshū was at a time when the court was growing in strength, both the anthologies had different roles and significances in the societies they were created for, such as its role in history, content, and styles of poetry.

From 645 to 646, the Taika Reform occurred throughout Japan. During the Taika reform, chieftains were eliminated and the only imperial power of Japan lay in the hands of the emperor. Because the imperial power became weak in Japan, the Japanese government began to model itself according to the Chinese government, which was the most powerful in Asia at that time. After the Taika Reform, the Japanese realized that political and social reform was not enough to rival China and they would need to “establish themselves in the eyes of the Chinese as a civilized country” (Keene 86). In 660, China invaded the kingdom of Paekche in Korea a...

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