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Kokinshū

(Collection from Ancient and Modern Times). More properly known as the Kokin wakashū (Collection of Japanese Poems from Ancient and Modern Times). Compiled about 905, it is a compilation of 1,111 poems arranged by topic. Topics include seasonal poems; love poems; congratulatory, parting, travel, and acrostic poems; laments, and others. Japanese usually compare the Kokinshū with the Shin Kokinshū (ca 1205, New Collection from Ancient and Modern Times), and the latter collection is conventionally preferred for its profundity. The Kokinshū is more original, however, and more responsive to immediate life. The Kokinshū represent the most creative period of the Japanese court. (adapted from Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Tokyo: Kodansha, 1993)

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