The Possibilities of Genetic Structuralist Method for the Analysis of Man'yōshū Poems)

The Man'yōshū anthology, the oldest extant written source of Japanese, contains poems of written/ oral traditions (4th-8th centuries). The aim of this study is to bring a new method for the analysis of Man'yōshū poems by focusing on the possibilities of the analysis method of Genetic Structuralism, a sociology of literature and art. From this point of view, anthology’s first poem by Emperor Yūryaku, has been analyzed by Genetic Structuralist method (understanding/ explanation phases). The research has revealed the significant structures and the world view in the work which also helped to explain why this work was chosen as the first poem of the anthology. As a result, the method by examining all aspects within the text and social structures around it- provides a scientific, integrated approach for Man'yōshū researches. Consequently, this research introduces a new approach for Man'yōshū studies in Turkey and in the world