SOURCE: Yiu, Angela. “The Category of Metaphorical Poems (Hiyuka) in the Man'yōshū: Its Characteristics and Chinese Origins.” Journal of the Association of Teachers of Japanese 23, no. 2 (November 1989): 7-33.

In the following essay, Yiu classifies and analyzes hiyuka poetry as found in the Man'yōshū, defining such works as highly metaphorical poems of Chinese origin but removed from their political dimension.

Introduction

Hiyuka (metaphorical poems) as a category appears in the Man'yôshû and disappears altogether in later anthologies. Its existence raises interesting questions concerning the classification of poetry at the very beginning of a long tradition of anthologization of Japanese poetry. The three major categories of poems in the Man'yôshû, zôka (miscellaneous poems), sômon (love exchanges), and banka (elegies), are classified by content, while hiyuka and two other small categories of poems, seijutsu shincho (direct expression of feelings) and kibutsu chinshi (relying on things...