Editing Man'yōshū (section)

== Name ==
[[File:Genryaku Manyosyu.JPG|right|thumb|A page from the {{Transliteration|ja|Man'yōshū}}]]
{{Further|Interpretation of the title of the Man'yōshū}}
The literal translation of the [[kanji]] that make up the title {{Transliteration|ja|Man'yōshū}} ({{lang|ja|万 — 葉 — 集}}) is "ten thousand — leaves — collection".

The principal interpretations of this name, according to the 20th century scholar {{ill|Sen'ichi Hisamatsu|ja|久松潜一}}, are:

# A book that collects a great many poems;{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=16}}
# A book for all generations;{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=16}} and:
# A poetry collection that uses a large volume of paper.{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=16}}

Of these, supporters of the first interpretation can be further divided into:

# Those who interpret the middle character as "words" "[[wikt:言の葉|言の葉]]" ({{Transliteration|ja|koto no ha}}, lit. "leaves of speech"), thus giving "ten thousand words", i.e. "many {{Transliteration|ja|waka}}",{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=16}} including [[Sengaku]],{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1pp=16–17}} {{ill|Shimokōbe Chōryū|ja|下河辺長流}},{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=17}} [[Kada no Azumamaro]]{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=17}} and [[Kamo no Mabuchi]],{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=17}} and;
# Those who interpret the middle character as literally referring to leaves of a tree, but as a metaphor for poems,{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=17}} including [[Ueda Akinari]],{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=17}} {{ill|Kimura Masakoto|ja|木村正辞}},{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=17}} {{ill|Masayuki Okada|ja|岡田正之}},{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=17}} {{ill|Torao Suzuki|ja|鈴木虎雄}},{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=17}} {{ill|Kiyotaka Hoshikawa|ja|星川清孝}} and [[Susumu Nakanishi]].{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=17}}

Furthermore, supporters of the second interpretation of the name can be divided into:

# It was meant to express the intention that the work should last for all time{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=17}} (proposed by [[Keichū]],{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=17}}{{efn|Keichū also recognized the first interpretation as a possibility.{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=17}}}} and supported by {{ill|Kamochi Masazumi|ja|鹿持雅澄}},{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=17}} {{ill|Inoue Michiyasu|ja|井上通泰}},{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=17}} [[Yoshio Yamada]],{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=17}} {{ill|Noriyuki Kojima|ja|小島憲之}}{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=17}} and {{ill|Tadashi Ōkubo|ja|大久保正}}{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=17}});
# It was meant to wish for long life for the [[Emperor of Japan|emperor]] and [[Empress of Japan|empress]]{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=17}} ({{ill|Shinobu Origuchi|ja|折口信夫}}{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=17}});
# It was meant to indicate that the collection included poems from all ages{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=17}} (proposed by Yamada{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=17}}).

The third interpretation of the name - that it refers to a poetry collection that uses a large quantity of paper - was proposed by [[Yūkichi Takeda]] in his {{nihongo||萬葉集新解上|Man'yōshū Shinkai jō}},{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=17}} but Takeda also accepted the second interpretation; his theory that the title refers to the large volume of paper used in the collection has not gained much traction among other scholars.{{sfnm|1a1=Hisamatsu|1y=1973|1p=17}}