The poems were chosen from among the excellent poems that had not been selected for the collections of poems by Imperial command, the Six Hundred Sets of Poetry Match (held by Ryokei (FUJIWARA no Yoshitsune)), and the One Thousand Five Hundred Sets of Poetry Match (held by the Retired Emperor).
代々の勅撰集に漏れた秀歌や、六百番歌合（良経主催）と千五百番歌合（上皇主催）が撰歌の母胎となった。