The Man'yōshū and the Kokinshū are perhaps among the earliest and most revered collections of Japanese poetry. The Man'yōshū, meaning "Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves (or Generations)", is believed to have been compiled by the poet Ōtomo no Yakamochi sometime after 759 AD during the Nara period. It contains over 4,000 poems, mostly tanka, dating before the end of the 8th century, and the writings are somewhat divided chronologically into four periods. Nearly two centuries later, the Kokin waka shū or Kokinshū, meaning "Collection of Ancient and Modern Poems", was compiled under the imperial command of Emperor Daigo in 905 AD during the Heian period by several famous poets such as Ki no Tsurayuki. Unlike the Man'yōshū, the 1,111 poems of the Kokinshū are organized thematically into 20 books, most of which deal with the four seasons and love. Although the Man'yōshū and the Kokinshū differed in authorship, poetic style, and writing style, both anthologies proved very significant in distinguishing the developing society of Japan from the powerful and influential nation of China. Unlike the Kokinshū, the Man'yōshū contained the works of poets from a broad spectrum of social backgrounds – peasants, middle- and lower-class citizens, stately courtiers, and even individuals from the royal family – although the poet presumably compiled it very aristocratic Ōtomo no Yakamochi. While the authors of nearly 2,000 poems remain anonymous, poets such as Princess Nukata, the low-ranking court member Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, and the noted poet Yamanoue no Okura are just some of the more notable poets whose works are found in the Man'yōshū. The Kokinshū, however, was compiled by high-ranking individuals and contained only the poetry of t...... middle of paper ...... the anthologies not only helped Japan slowly break away from the dominant influence of the Chinese and allowed this developing nation to collect thousands of priceless works of ancient and cultural art from the distant past, but also laid the foundation for future centuries of brilliant and refined Japanese poetry that is still greatly admired today. Works Cited Keene, Donald. Anthology of Japanese literature, from the early to the mid-19th century. New York: Grove, 1955. McCullough, Helen C., and Tsurayuki Ki. Kokin Wakashū: the first imperial anthology of Japanese poetry: with Tosa Nikki and Shinsen Waka. Standford, CA: Stanford University, 1985. Miner, Earl Roy. An introduction to Japanese court poetry. Stanford, CA: StandfordUniversity Press, 1968.Varley, Paul H. Japanese Culture. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press, 2000.