Which court poet led the compilers of the Kokin Wakashū?

Ki no Tsurayuki led the court poets who compiled the Kokin Wakashū. He was the anthology’s principal editor and wrote its Japanese preface, one of the earliest important works of Japanese literary criticism.

In 905, Emperor Daigo selected Tsurayuki, Ki no Tomonori, Ōshikōchi no Mitsune, and Mibu no Tadamine to assemble the collection. Tsurayuki’s role was especially prominent: he shaped the editorial project, composed the kana preface, and helped define the anthology’s ideas about Japanese poetry.

The Kokin Wakashū contains about 1,100 waka arranged by topic, including seasons and love. Its organization and poetic ideals strongly influenced later court anthologies and the development of linked-verse traditions. Tsurayuki’s preface also discusses the origins, purposes, and history of waka.

Mibu no Tadamine was one of the other compilers, which makes him a plausible distractor, but he did not lead the group. Fujiwara no Teika lived later and is associated with important medieval manuscripts and poetic scholarship, not the original tenth-century compilation.