Ryōunshū

The Ryōunshū (凌雲集) was the first imperially commissioned Japanese kanshi collection. It was compiled by Ono no Minemori, Sugawara no Kiyotomo and others under the command of Emperor Saga. The text was completed in 814.

Title

The title, Ryōunshū, is an allusion to poetry so great that it soars higher than the clouds. The preface also gives the title as Ryōun Shinshū (凌雲新集), describing it as a "new collection".

Contents

The text begins with a preface outlining the background for and editorial principles surrounding the subject matter. The main text contains 91 poems contributed by 24 authors composed in kanshi style. The poems were ordered by author.

References

• Kubota, Jun (2007). Iwanami Nihon Koten Bungaku Jiten [Iwanami dictionary of Japanese classical literature] (in Japanese). Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 978-4-00-080310-6.
• Nihon Koten Bungaku Daijiten: Kan'yakuban [A Comprehensive Dictionary of Classical Japanese Literature: Concise Edition]. Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten. 1986. ISBN 4-00-080067-1.