Historically, the word “medieval” is usually associated with the European Middle Ages, where things were thought to be primitive. However, there was also a medieval period in Japan. Europe and Japan are separated by two countries, so it is not surprising to see that their respective medieval worlds occurred at different times. For Japan, much of this occurred during the Heian and Kamakura periods, when power separated from the Imperial Court and was shared with the Shogunate. Between the Heian era and the Kamakura era, there were changes in who controlled power, and the religion of Buddhism, while significant in both eras, was beginning to emerge as a stronger power. But during this period in Japan, elegant literature was changing, almost keeping pace with the changes that were taking place. In the Heian era, literature was popular at court, both for men and women. They took part in reading and writing literary prose, and waka was particularly popular. Waka was used not only as a pastime but also to be exchanged between men and women as love letters are. An important and popular collection of waka proves to be an example of what the Heian period was all about. The Kokinwakashu was an imperial collection, focusing on things considered elegant, such as the seasons, love and grief. The theme of the collection, what can be defined as miyabi, a metaphorical and less brazen way of saying things. This miyabi was an elegance that was almost treated as a rule of the waka. Things slowly changed as time moved on to the Kamakura period. Three centuries after the compilation of the Kokinwakashu, a Shinkokinshu, or New Kokin(waka)shu, was compiled. He tried to keep the elements in the center of the card, due to the past, but it played a huge and important role during the medieval period. Works Cited Anthology of Japanese Literature. "Ed" or "Comp". Donald Keene. New York: Grove Press, 1955. Print.Huey, Robert N. “The Medievalization of Poetic Practice.” Harvard Journal of Asian Studies. 50.2 (1990): 651-68. Print.Malgorzata, Citko. "Handout 10 - Shinkokin waka shū." No. page Network. 31 March 2011. .Malgorzata, Citko. "Handout 11 - Prose of the Kamakura period (1185-1333)." No. page Network. March 31, 2011. Shirane, Harue and Tomi Suzuki. Inventing the Classics: Modernity, National Identity, and Japanese Literature. Stanford: Stanford University. Print, 2000. eBook.