# A millennium ago, (almost) everyone in Japan was a poet

> Ancient Japanese poetry collection shows nearly all citizens were poets a thousand years ago.
- Title: A millennium ago, (almost) everyone in Japan was a poet
- Summary: Ancient Japanese poetry collection shows nearly all citizens were poets a thousand years ago. A 12th-century Japanese poetry anthology reveals that poets…
- Keywords: manyoshu, japanese poetry, 5th century japan, poetry collection, historical poetry, ancient japan, news, politics, world, millennium, ago, almost
- Source: The Japan Times — https://japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/10/20/japan/history/manyoshu-japanese-poetry
- Author: Michael Hoffman
- Published: 2026-10-19T15:40:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: manyoshu, japanese poetry, 5th century japan, poetry collection, historical poetry, ancient japan, news, politics, world
## Ancient Japanese poetry
A millennium ago, (almost) everyone in Japan was a poet.

> Your basket, with your pretty basket, / your trowel, with your pretty trowel, / maiden picking herbs on this hillside, / I would ask you: Where is your home? / Will you not tell me your name?
## Historical poetry collection
Pages from the Manyoshu from 1184, owned by the Tokyo National Museum.
## Poetry's historical reach
The Manyoshu is a 5th-century Japanese poetry collection that was widely read.
## Historical context
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## Key takeaway

A 12th-century Japanese poetry anthology reveals that poets were common among everyday people in 5th-century Japan.