During the Heian period (794 – 1185 AD) in Japan, poetry became a very popular art form. Two of the most significant pieces released in this period were the Manyōshū and the Kokinshū. The Manyōshū was the first anthology of poetry ever created, and the Kokinshū was the first anthology of poetry ordered by imperial rule. They are important not only because they constituted the beginning of documented Japanese art, but also because they greatly influenced and represented the culture and society of the time. When the Manyōshū was created around 759 AD, Japan wanted to create their own form of literature and poetry unique to their country. Korean and Chinese masters who taught poetry in their countries inspired the Japanese to follow suit. The Manyōshū was composed of 4,516 waka, Japanese poems, and the different styles used in order of popularity were tanka, choka and hanka. Poems were labeled as such, based on their syllabic pattern. Within the tanka, choka and hanka writing techniques such as makurakotoba, pillow words, were commonly used. The formulation of these different types of poems helped not only record popular songs, but also create writing styles and techniques unique to Japan. Half of the authors of the Manyōshū are unknown, and many of them ranged from emperors to merchants, soldiers to farmers, even male and female. People of any social status could compose for the Manyōshū because as long as you could compose good poetry, you were highly revered. It is also important to note that this was a private collection, not an imperial one, because the authors had the freedom to write what they wanted. This is significant because it was very rare to have authors from different backgrounds co...... middle of paper ...... to experiment and create different styles of poetry across all classes and the Kokinshū further relied on ideas from from the Manyōshū except that it was more selective limiting its authors to the high-ranking class. This led to more refined art, which was Japan's original goal, because it was written by people with more education and experience. Japanese poetry flourished during the Heian period, and when Kokinshū was created, their works were not only easily comparable to Chinese ones, but were also able to establish a national identity. Works Cited Kato, Shuichi. A history of Japanese literature from Manyoshu to modern times. Abridged edition. Surrey: Japan Library, 1997. Roysten, Clifton W. “Utaawase Judgments as Poetic Criticism.” The Journal of Asian Studies 34.1 (1974): 99. May 29 2011. .