Which emperor ordered the publication of the Kokin Wakashū?

Emperor Daigo ordered the publication of the Kokin Wakashū. The anthology was the first major imperially sponsored collection of waka, Japan's traditional poem form.

Daigo reigned from 897 to 930 and was the son of Emperor Uda, who had conceived the project. In 905, Daigo commissioned four court poets to compile poems from earlier generations and their own age. The work is therefore called Kokin Wakashū, meaning “Collection of Japanese Poems of Ancient and Modern Times.”

The four compilers were Ki no Tsurayuki, Ki no Tomonori, Ōshikōchi no Mitsune, and Mibu no Tadamine. Their anthology helped establish the model for the 21 imperial poetry collections that followed. It arranged poems by subjects such as seasons, love, travel, laments, and miscellaneous themes.

A frequent mistake is choosing Emperor Uda, because he initiated the idea. The order that formally launched the compilation, however, came from his son, Emperor Daigo.