The Man'yōshū can be interpreted as "Collection of ten thousand leaves" or "Collection for ten thousand generations" was the first anthology of poems written by Japanese poets . Its meaning is captured by the dramatic title, as it has indeed lasted for countless generations and influenced all of Japanese poetry throughout history. Although the collection includes poems from the lower classes and “primitive” songs from centuries earlier, the contents of the twenty volumes are mostly court verse from the upper classes of Japanese society (Brower 89). The Man'yōshū was written in the mid-8th century, during what is commonly called the ancient period, compiled by Ōtomo no Yakamochi and often thought to be a personal collection. The historical and literary significance of the Man'yōshū cannot be understated, as it offers scholars the only window into the ancient songs and verses of the centuries surrounding when it was written. The text is written in man'yōgana, a Chinese character script adapted to the Japanese language, sometimes phonetically and sometimes semantically. Even so, the poems contained show very little influence from imported Chinese culture. That said, it is difficult to assess its importance for the society of the time. Since this is a private collection, it is most likely a mix of various poems collected according to the compiler's taste, and may not have been very well known at the time. However, the importance of the Man'yōshū as a basis for the development of later poetic styles is clear. For example, most makurakotoba used in the ancient period and subsequent centuries first appear in the Man'yōshū: for example, ashibiki, a pillow word for yama (mountain), first appears in a poem at center of the paper. ... of Kokinshū as an artistic ideal for centuries to come. While Ki no Tsurayuki states, writing in the preface to his anthology, that “Thus we fear the ear of the world and lack confidence in the heart of our poetry” (Wixted 47), it is clear that despite the humble description, the compiler and his colleagues knew that their creation was a hallmark of Japanese poetic form. Works Cited Brower, Robert, et al., ed. Japanese court poetry. Stanford University Press. Los Angeles: 1961. Keene, Donald, ed. Anthology of Japanese literature from the early to mid-19th century. Grove Press, Inc. New York: 1955.Rexroth, Kenneth, ed. and trans. One Hundred Poems from the Japanese. Penguin. New York: 1955. Wixted, John, et al., ed. Kokinshu: a collection of ancient and modern poems. Princeton University Press. Boston: 1984.