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2 The Heian Court and Kana Writing

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The Kokinshū
This chapter is in the book The Kokinshū
THE TEMPORAL DISTANCE between the compilation of the Man’yōshūin the late eighth century and that of the Kokinshū in the early tenth century appears further amplified by the momentous polit-ical and cultural changes that occurred during this period. First among these was the move of the capital from Nara to Heian, and the subsequent reconfiguration of the imperial adminis-tration and court culture around this new geographical locale. Second was the development of cursive kana script, which became the standard medium in which to write waka after the tenth century. These changes transformed waka poetry to such an extent that the poetry of the Man’yōshū and the Nara period quickly came to be perceived as belonging to an archaic age.Emperor Kanmu (r. 781–806), who moved the capital first to Nagaoka in 784 and then to Heian in 795, portrayed his reign as the inauguration of a new dynastic branch of the imperial line.1Placing a renewed emphasis on Confucian ideals of kingly rule Chapter TwoTHE HEIAN COURT AND KANA WRITING
© 2023 Columbia University Press

THE TEMPORAL DISTANCE between the compilation of the Man’yōshūin the late eighth century and that of the Kokinshū in the early tenth century appears further amplified by the momentous polit-ical and cultural changes that occurred during this period. First among these was the move of the capital from Nara to Heian, and the subsequent reconfiguration of the imperial adminis-tration and court culture around this new geographical locale. Second was the development of cursive kana script, which became the standard medium in which to write waka after the tenth century. These changes transformed waka poetry to such an extent that the poetry of the Man’yōshū and the Nara period quickly came to be perceived as belonging to an archaic age.Emperor Kanmu (r. 781–806), who moved the capital first to Nagaoka in 784 and then to Heian in 795, portrayed his reign as the inauguration of a new dynastic branch of the imperial line.1Placing a renewed emphasis on Confucian ideals of kingly rule Chapter TwoTHE HEIAN COURT AND KANA WRITING
© 2023 Columbia University Press

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. CONTENTS vii
  3. Acknowledgments ix
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part 1. Translation
  6. Mana Preface 7
  7. Selected Poems from Kokinwakashū 17
  8. Kana Preface 225
  9. Part 2. Essays
  10. 1 Poetry Before the Heian Period 239
  11. 2 The Heian Court and Kana Writing 255
  12. 3 The Conception and Structure of the Kokinshū 269
  13. 4 Topics of Composition 282
  14. 5 Prosody and Rhetorical Conventions 301
  15. 6 The Kokinshū Prefaces 310
  16. 7 The Kokinshū Text and Its Commentarial Tradition 339
  17. 8 Translating the Kokinshū 353
  18. Appendix: Poets in This Book 369
  19. Bibliography and Further Reading 379
  20. Index 385
  21. TRANSLATIONS FROM THE ASIAN CLASSICS 409
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https://doi.org/10.7312/duth20762-007

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. CONTENTS vii
  3. Acknowledgments ix
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part 1. Translation
  6. Mana Preface 7
  7. Selected Poems from Kokinwakashū 17
  8. Kana Preface 225
  9. Part 2. Essays
  10. 1 Poetry Before the Heian Period 239
  11. 2 The Heian Court and Kana Writing 255
  12. 3 The Conception and Structure of the Kokinshū 269
  13. 4 Topics of Composition 282
  14. 5 Prosody and Rhetorical Conventions 301
  15. 6 The Kokinshū Prefaces 310
  16. 7 The Kokinshū Text and Its Commentarial Tradition 339
  17. 8 Translating the Kokinshū 353
  18. Appendix: Poets in This Book 369
  19. Bibliography and Further Reading 379
  20. Index 385
  21. TRANSLATIONS FROM THE ASIAN CLASSICS 409
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