Abstract: The monk poems collected in Kaifūsō is a typical example of early Japanese monk literature.The creation and reception of these poems reflect the underlying motivations for the emergence of Japanese monk literature.Monks sought to gain recognition of their privileged status from the ruling class by participating in the collective composition of Sinitic poetry alongside cultural elites.The ruling class,in turn,supported the acquisition of the necessary cultural literacy for such Chinese literary creation as part of their efforts to consolidate their rule through the promotion of Buddhism.At the same time,they projected their idealized vision of Chinese reclusive scholars onto the monks,striving to create an image of a flourishing civilization in which both the religious and secular participated in literary creation.This mechanism for the emergence of monk literature reflects the special cultural roles played by Sinitic literature and Buddhism during the “Tang Style Transformation” in Japan in the 7th to 8th centuries.

Key words: Kaifūsō, Japanese monk literature, “Tang Style Transformation”, cultural transformation