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Shin kokinshū

Japanese literary anthology
Also known as: “Shin kokin wakashū”

Quick Summary

The Shin kokinshū is a significant anthology of Japanese poetry compiled around 1205. It is considered a supreme accomplishment in tanka composition, a form of Japanese poetry. The title, meaning "the new Kokinshū," indicates its compilers' belief that the poets included were worthy successors to those in the earlier Kokinshū anthology from 905.1

This collection features poets like Fujiwara Sadaie (Teika), his father Fujiwara Toshinari (Shunzei), the priest Saigyō, and the former emperor Go-Toba. These poets focused on finding deeper, symbolic meanings beyond the visible world, moving away from purely descriptive verses towards a more introspective and nuanced expression. The Shin kokinshū is renowned for its aesthetic sensibility and its influence on Japanese poetic tradition.1

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