Emperor Yozei was supposed to have some poetic talent, and on various occasions he organized tanka matches (tanka (writing) contests) by himself; there is only one existing song made by the Emperor, which won a prize from Gosen Wakashu (Later Collection of Japanese Poetry) and was later recorded in (A Hundred Poems by a Hundred Poets).
退位後に幾度か歌合せを催すなど、歌才があったようだが、自身の歌として伝わるのは後撰和歌集に入撰し、のちに小倉百人一首にも採録された下記一首のみである。