How many books divide the Kokin Wakashu?
Answer
20
The *Kokin Wakashū* is divided into 20 books, or sections. This structure organizes its waka by seasons, occasions, love, laments, miscellaneous topics, and traditional songs.
The anthology was commissioned by Emperor Daigo and completed in the early tenth century, with its origins usually dated to around 905. It was compiled by four court poets led by Ki no Tsurayuki. As the first imperial anthology of waka, it established an organizational model that later official collections often followed.
The first books focus on seasonal poetry: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Other sections cover congratulations, partings, travel, acrostics, and five books of love poetry. The final books include laments, miscellaneous poems, miscellaneous forms, and songs associated with the Bureau of Song.
The number of poems can vary among textual traditions, but the number of books is conventionally 20. That distinction explains why readers may encounter different poem counts while still seeing the same standard division. The anthology’s arrangement also influenced later linked-verse and haikai traditions.