The Manyoshu (meaning "collection to be passed down through ten thousand eras" or "collection of ten thousand leaves") is known as the oldest extant collection of Japanese artwork poetry and is was compiled during the Nara period. This anthology is highly revered in Japan for this reason and contains approximately 4,500 poems spread across 20 volumes. The collection contains 265 choka (long poems), 4,207 tanka (short poems), one tanrenga (short connecting poem), one bussokusekika (poems about the footprints of the Buddha at Yakushi-ji in Nara), four kanshi (Chinese poems), and 22 Passages in Chinese Prose (Man'yōshū). Of particular note is that, unlike later anthologies, the Manyoshu does not have a preface and includes poems by commoners, nobles, and royalty. Of the 400 authors identified, Otomo no Yakamochi stands out as the last great poet who not only added many of his poems to the collection, but edited and compiled them. The role of the Manyoshu at the time was to differentiate Japanese poetry from Japanese poetry. Chinese poetry moving away from the traditional Chinese method. Many entries in the Manyoshu still had Chinese-based Confucian, Taoist, or even Buddhist roots, but overall had a primarily ancient Japanese theme that leaned towards Japanese-based Shinto. This is why it stands out as a piece of Japanese literature that shows the transition from Chinese literature to something original. Not only did it impact literature, but it was also of great importance in changing the Japanese writing system, being composed in manyogana. Although manyogana was used earlier, it was only with Manyoshu that it became influential enough to get its name. This system used Chinese characters to represent Japa......center of the card......opening. This in turn led to greater visibility among the public and made it less of an activity reserved exclusively for the aristocracy. Works Cited "Japanese Literature:: The Meaning of Man'yoshu - Britannica Online Encyclopedia". Encyclopedia - Encyclopedia Britannica online. February 15, 2011 .Keene, Donald. Anthology of Japanese literature, from the most ancient era to the mid-nineteenth century. New York: Grove P, 1955."Kokin Wakashū." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. February 15, 2011 "Man'yōshū." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. February 15, 2011 .Rodd, Laurel Rasplica. and Mary Catherine. Henkenius. Kokinshu%u0304: a collection of ancient and modern poems. Princeton: Princeton SU, 1984.