The 'Manyoshu,' Japan's foundational poetry anthology, contrasts starkly with the Bible's moral rigor, sin and divine judgment. It evokes a simpler, Eden-like existence, untouched by wrath or guilt.
From wrath to radiance: Why the 'Manyoshu' feels like paradise lost
While the Bible’s God demands obedience and punishes sin, the 'Manyoshu' radiates innocence, joy and harmony with nature.
buff.ly
January 15, 2025 at 4:17 AM
The 'Manyoshu,' Japan's foundational poetry anthology, contrasts starkly with the Bible's moral rigor, sin and divine judgment. It evokes a simpler, Eden-like existence, untouched by wrath or guilt.
December 7, 2024 at 2:37 PM
One of my students was a Dominican from New York. He discovered he loved classical Japanese poetry when I had them read excerpts from the Manyoshu
November 10, 2025 at 4:42 PM
One of my students was a Dominican from New York. He discovered he loved classical Japanese poetry when I had them read excerpts from the Manyoshu
Hekusokazura, named for its foul smell ("hekusho" means feces in Japanese), appears even in the 1,000-year-old Manyoshu as a metaphor for clinging to tough work.
July 1, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Hekusokazura, named for its foul smell ("hekusho" means feces in Japanese), appears even in the 1,000-year-old Manyoshu as a metaphor for clinging to tough work.
Reading Meredith McKinney's "Travels with a writing brush: Classical Japanese travel writing from the Manyoshu to Basho," I wonder about the re-use of themes:
does "pervasive presence
of allusion" mean "pervasive
presence of absence"?
#Senryu
does "pervasive presence
of allusion" mean "pervasive
presence of absence"?
#Senryu
October 7, 2026 at 1:21 AM
Reading Meredith McKinney's "Travels with a writing brush: Classical Japanese travel writing from the Manyoshu to Basho," I wonder about the re-use of themes:
does "pervasive presence
of allusion" mean "pervasive
presence of absence"?
#Senryu
does "pervasive presence
of allusion" mean "pervasive
presence of absence"?
#Senryu
The goddamn olympians!
March 20, 2025 at 4:47 AM
The goddamn olympians!
To what shall I compare
this world?
It is like a boat at daybreak
rowing away and gone
leaving no trace.
Sami Mansei
(a Manyoshu poem)
mid-8th century
this world?
It is like a boat at daybreak
rowing away and gone
leaving no trace.
Sami Mansei
(a Manyoshu poem)
mid-8th century
October 19, 2023 at 9:17 PM
To what shall I compare
this world?
It is like a boat at daybreak
rowing away and gone
leaving no trace.
Sami Mansei
(a Manyoshu poem)
mid-8th century
this world?
It is like a boat at daybreak
rowing away and gone
leaving no trace.
Sami Mansei
(a Manyoshu poem)
mid-8th century
As the mountain torrents roar and roar again,
Over Yuzuki’s peak
The clouds arise and hover.
-Hitomaro,
Manyōshū
(Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai
translation)
Over Yuzuki’s peak
The clouds arise and hover.
-Hitomaro,
Manyōshū
(Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai
translation)
April 4, 2026 at 7:15 AM
As the mountain torrents roar and roar again,
Over Yuzuki’s peak
The clouds arise and hover.
-Hitomaro,
Manyōshū
(Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai
translation)
Over Yuzuki’s peak
The clouds arise and hover.
-Hitomaro,
Manyōshū
(Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai
translation)
On the sea of heaven the waves of cloud arise,
And the moon’s ship is seen sailing
To hide in a forest of stars.
-Hitomaro,
Manyōshū
(Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai
translation)
And the moon’s ship is seen sailing
To hide in a forest of stars.
-Hitomaro,
Manyōshū
(Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai
translation)
April 4, 2026 at 4:59 AM
On the sea of heaven the waves of cloud arise,
And the moon’s ship is seen sailing
To hide in a forest of stars.
-Hitomaro,
Manyōshū
(Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai
translation)
And the moon’s ship is seen sailing
To hide in a forest of stars.
-Hitomaro,
Manyōshū
(Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai
translation)
Then there's the predecessor to Hiragana called Man'yogana which was even clunkier.
100poets.com/2023/10/12/t...
100poets.com/2023/10/12/t...
The Manyoshu: Japan’s First Poetry Anthology
Centuries before the Hyakunin Isshu was compiled and before official Imperial anthologies such as the Kokin Wakashū were promulgated there was the Manyoshu (万葉集) or “collection of ten thousand leav…
100poets.com
September 30, 2026 at 3:06 AM
Then there's the predecessor to Hiragana called Man'yogana which was even clunkier.
100poets.com/2023/10/12/t...
100poets.com/2023/10/12/t...
Wielka miłość zawsze wynika z samotności. W Manyoshu, najstarszej japońskiej antologii, znak "miłość" złożono z "samotności" i "smutku". Wiedziałaś o tym?
- Kazuko Hosoki "Pójdziesz do piekła"
- Kazuko Hosoki "Pójdziesz do piekła"
May 9, 2026 at 10:13 AM
Wielka miłość zawsze wynika z samotności. W Manyoshu, najstarszej japońskiej antologii, znak "miłość" złożono z "samotności" i "smutku". Wiedziałaś o tym?
- Kazuko Hosoki "Pójdziesz do piekła"
- Kazuko Hosoki "Pójdziesz do piekła"
A splendid land
is the dragonfly island,
the land of Yamato.
-Emperor Jomei,
from Manyōshū
(tr. Ian Hideo Levy)
is the dragonfly island,
the land of Yamato.
-Emperor Jomei,
from Manyōshū
(tr. Ian Hideo Levy)
March 13, 2026 at 4:51 PM
A splendid land
is the dragonfly island,
the land of Yamato.
-Emperor Jomei,
from Manyōshū
(tr. Ian Hideo Levy)
is the dragonfly island,
the land of Yamato.
-Emperor Jomei,
from Manyōshū
(tr. Ian Hideo Levy)
By the River Uji
The inlet of Ōkura is echoing;
To the fields of Fushimi
The wild geese are passing.
-Hitomaro,
Manyōshū
(Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai
translation)
The inlet of Ōkura is echoing;
To the fields of Fushimi
The wild geese are passing.
-Hitomaro,
Manyōshū
(Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai
translation)
April 4, 2026 at 7:24 AM
By the River Uji
The inlet of Ōkura is echoing;
To the fields of Fushimi
The wild geese are passing.
-Hitomaro,
Manyōshū
(Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai
translation)
The inlet of Ōkura is echoing;
To the fields of Fushimi
The wild geese are passing.
-Hitomaro,
Manyōshū
(Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai
translation)
Today I saw the Satsuma Channel,
Satsuma
of the wild Hayato men,
distant as the dwelling of the clouds.
-Prince Nagata,
from Manyōshū
(tr. Ian Hideo Levy)
Satsuma
of the wild Hayato men,
distant as the dwelling of the clouds.
-Prince Nagata,
from Manyōshū
(tr. Ian Hideo Levy)
March 14, 2026 at 1:11 PM
Today I saw the Satsuma Channel,
Satsuma
of the wild Hayato men,
distant as the dwelling of the clouds.
-Prince Nagata,
from Manyōshū
(tr. Ian Hideo Levy)
Satsuma
of the wild Hayato men,
distant as the dwelling of the clouds.
-Prince Nagata,
from Manyōshū
(tr. Ian Hideo Levy)
Après les divers types de la poésie classique japonaise, on présente cette fois la toute première anthologie de poésie japonaise : le Manyôshû, le recueil des dix mille feuilles.
Comme on le voit, ça ne veut pas dire qu'il y a dix mille poèmes…
#japon #poésie #waka #万葉集
youtu.be/AP1jw4kiil4
Comme on le voit, ça ne veut pas dire qu'il y a dix mille poèmes…
#japon #poésie #waka #万葉集
youtu.be/AP1jw4kiil4
La poésie japonaise : le Manyôshû
YouTube video by Gwendal-ason
youtu.be
October 4, 2026 at 4:07 PM
Après les divers types de la poésie classique japonaise, on présente cette fois la toute première anthologie de poésie japonaise : le Manyôshû, le recueil des dix mille feuilles.
Comme on le voit, ça ne veut pas dire qu'il y a dix mille poèmes…
#japon #poésie #waka #万葉集
youtu.be/AP1jw4kiil4
Comme on le voit, ça ne veut pas dire qu'il y a dix mille poèmes…
#japon #poésie #waka #万葉集
youtu.be/AP1jw4kiil4
Still reading Meredith McKinney's "Travels with a writing brush: Classical Japanese travel writing from the Manyoshu to Basho," now I think about how remembrance and longing can be a kind of embrace:
definitively
not here - friends, clouds, moon, poems - but -
always also here?
definitively
not here - friends, clouds, moon, poems - but -
always also here?
October 7, 2026 at 1:33 AM
Still reading Meredith McKinney's "Travels with a writing brush: Classical Japanese travel writing from the Manyoshu to Basho," now I think about how remembrance and longing can be a kind of embrace:
definitively
not here - friends, clouds, moon, poems - but -
always also here?
definitively
not here - friends, clouds, moon, poems - but -
always also here?
From the poetic joys of the "Manyoshu" to the melancholy depths of "The Tale of Genji," how do Japan’s ancient traditions of “leaving the world” resonate with today’s "hikikomori" phenomenon.
From Genji to 'hikikomori,' how we make peace with disappearing
Japan’s reverence for impermanence reveals a profound connection between beauty and loss, from poetic musings to spiritual retreats, echoing in modern expressions of solitude.
buff.ly
January 17, 2025 at 2:02 PM
From the poetic joys of the "Manyoshu" to the melancholy depths of "The Tale of Genji," how do Japan’s ancient traditions of “leaving the world” resonate with today’s "hikikomori" phenomenon.
Passing the shore of Minumé where they gather
The beautiful seaweed,
My boat has approached
Cape Nujima of drooping summer grass.
.
The sea must be calm on Kehi Bay
For I see fishermen’s boats
Crowding out
Like so many cut reeds.
-Hitomaro,
Manyōshū,
(Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai)
The beautiful seaweed,
My boat has approached
Cape Nujima of drooping summer grass.
.
The sea must be calm on Kehi Bay
For I see fishermen’s boats
Crowding out
Like so many cut reeds.
-Hitomaro,
Manyōshū,
(Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai)
April 4, 2026 at 12:31 AM
Passing the shore of Minumé where they gather
The beautiful seaweed,
My boat has approached
Cape Nujima of drooping summer grass.
.
The sea must be calm on Kehi Bay
For I see fishermen’s boats
Crowding out
Like so many cut reeds.
-Hitomaro,
Manyōshū,
(Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai)
The beautiful seaweed,
My boat has approached
Cape Nujima of drooping summer grass.
.
The sea must be calm on Kehi Bay
For I see fishermen’s boats
Crowding out
Like so many cut reeds.
-Hitomaro,
Manyōshū,
(Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai)
1/2
I loathe the twin seas
Of being and not being
And long for the mountain
Of bliss untouched by
The changing tides.
-Anonymous, Manyōshū
(tr. Kenneth Rexroth)
I loathe the twin seas
Of being and not being
And long for the mountain
Of bliss untouched by
The changing tides.
-Anonymous, Manyōshū
(tr. Kenneth Rexroth)
June 29, 2026 at 5:47 AM
1/2
I loathe the twin seas
Of being and not being
And long for the mountain
Of bliss untouched by
The changing tides.
-Anonymous, Manyōshū
(tr. Kenneth Rexroth)
I loathe the twin seas
Of being and not being
And long for the mountain
Of bliss untouched by
The changing tides.
-Anonymous, Manyōshū
(tr. Kenneth Rexroth)
The night hours have advanced,
It must be the dead of night:
In the sky where the wild geese call
I see the moon travelling on.
-Hitomaro,
Manyōshū
(Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai
translation)
It must be the dead of night:
In the sky where the wild geese call
I see the moon travelling on.
-Hitomaro,
Manyōshū
(Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai
translation)
April 4, 2026 at 9:08 AM
The night hours have advanced,
It must be the dead of night:
In the sky where the wild geese call
I see the moon travelling on.
-Hitomaro,
Manyōshū
(Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai
translation)
It must be the dead of night:
In the sky where the wild geese call
I see the moon travelling on.
-Hitomaro,
Manyōshū
(Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai
translation)
A Wizard of Earthsea, LeGuin
The Dhammapada
The Lord of the Rings
The Periodic Table, Levi
Utz, Chatwin
We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live, Didion
Collected Poems, Yeats
New Jerusalem Bible
I Ching Bollingen Edition
Manyōshu
The Dhammapada
The Lord of the Rings
The Periodic Table, Levi
Utz, Chatwin
We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live, Didion
Collected Poems, Yeats
New Jerusalem Bible
I Ching Bollingen Edition
Manyōshu
August 7, 2025 at 6:38 PM
A Wizard of Earthsea, LeGuin
The Dhammapada
The Lord of the Rings
The Periodic Table, Levi
Utz, Chatwin
We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live, Didion
Collected Poems, Yeats
New Jerusalem Bible
I Ching Bollingen Edition
Manyōshu
The Dhammapada
The Lord of the Rings
The Periodic Table, Levi
Utz, Chatwin
We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live, Didion
Collected Poems, Yeats
New Jerusalem Bible
I Ching Bollingen Edition
Manyōshu
Yesterday was International Translation Day, so here are four works by Meredith McKinney, who's one of the best.
The Pillow Book (Sei Shonagon)
Kusamakura (Natsume Soseki)
Travels with a Writing Brush: Classical Japanese Travel Writing from the Manyoshu to Basho
A Tale Unasked (Lady Nijo)
The Pillow Book (Sei Shonagon)
Kusamakura (Natsume Soseki)
Travels with a Writing Brush: Classical Japanese Travel Writing from the Manyoshu to Basho
A Tale Unasked (Lady Nijo)
October 1, 2026 at 12:02 AM
Yesterday was International Translation Day, so here are four works by Meredith McKinney, who's one of the best.
The Pillow Book (Sei Shonagon)
Kusamakura (Natsume Soseki)
Travels with a Writing Brush: Classical Japanese Travel Writing from the Manyoshu to Basho
A Tale Unasked (Lady Nijo)
The Pillow Book (Sei Shonagon)
Kusamakura (Natsume Soseki)
Travels with a Writing Brush: Classical Japanese Travel Writing from the Manyoshu to Basho
A Tale Unasked (Lady Nijo)
Years ago I may have been Dr Manyoshu but now I am just a Coaster who is coasting downhill. 😞
August 11, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Years ago I may have been Dr Manyoshu but now I am just a Coaster who is coasting downhill. 😞