Editing Man'yōshū (section)

==Periodization==
{{unreferenced section|date=May 2018}}
The collection is customarily divided into four periods. The earliest dates to prehistoric or legendary pasts, from the time of [[Emperor Yūryaku]] ({{abbr|r.|reigned}}&nbsp;{{circa|456}}&nbsp;– {{circa|479}}) to those of the little-documented [[Emperor Yōmei]] (r.&nbsp;585–587), [[Kogyoku Tenno|Saimei]] (r.&nbsp;642-645, 655-661), and finally [[Tenji Emperor|Tenji]] (r.&nbsp;668–671) during the [[Taika Reforms]] and the time of [[Fujiwara no Kamatari]] (614–669). The second period covers the end of the 7th century, coinciding with the popularity of [[Kakinomoto no Hitomaro]], one of Japan's greatest poets. The third period spans 700&nbsp;– {{circa|730}} and covers the works of such poets as [[Yamabe no Akahito]], [[Ōtomo no Tabito]] and [[Yamanoue no Okura]]. The fourth period spans 730–760 and includes the work of the last great poet of this collection, the compiler Ōtomo no Yakamochi himself, who not only wrote many original poems but also edited, updated and refashioned an unknown number of ancient poems.