In Japanese culture the Man'yōshū and the Kokinshū are considered important works. Both are anthologies full of poems written by people of the time, although many are written by anonymous people. Although both are written centuries apart, both have relevance to their times. The Man'yōshū is literally translated into the Gathering of Ten Thousand Leaves. It is considered the oldest and one of the largest collections in Japanese history. It was compiled in the mid-8th century, although there are some poems written before publication. Although it says ten thousand leaves, which would lead the reader to assume that there would be ten thousand poems, there are only 4500. The Man'yōshū is the only collection that does not have a preface. Unlike the Kokinshū, the Man'yōshū was written as a private work. Although the Man'yōshū was written by both nobles and commoners, many of the poems remain anonymous. There are twenty books and the latest ones are compiled by Kokinomoto no Hitomaro. Many poems from this period have a strong sexual appeal, all of which are about love. There are also many political poems that show the greatness and power of those who hold high offices. The writings of the Man'yōshū also focused on the makoto (sincerity) of the writer. The Man'yōshū was written to show the best of Japan. At that time, the Japanese were trying to create their own unique style, different from that of their influencer, China. Wanting to leave China's shadow, the Japanese began writing in a new style known as manyogana. This is a style in which the kanji that have the meaning and sound of the Japanese language are connected with other kanji that are used only to get the right sound, although the kanji following the first has no...... central part of paper......writing. The Man'yōshū was written by the most powerful, the nobles, down to the smallest, the commoners. Other than hierarchical power, there is no other way it was organized. The goal was also for Makoto. Kokinshū were written only by nobles and were compiled according to genre. The main target was Miyabi. Although they are both different writings, their goal of changing and improving Japan was evident. Works Cited Citko, Malgorzata. "Handout 4-Kokin waka shu."2010. Print.Citko, Malgorzata. “Man’yoshu.” Eall 271. January 19, 2011. Address."Kokinshu." Anthology of Japanese literature from the earliest times to the mid-19th century. Ed and Comp. Donald Keene. New York: Grove Press, 1955. Print."Man'yoshu." Anthology of Japanese literature from the early times to the mid-19th century. Ed and Comp. Donald Keene. New York: Grove Press, 1955. Print.