In former times the controversy over the completion of the text was divided into three: before, during, or after the composition of "Kokin Wakashu" (A Collection of Ancient and Modern Japanese Poetry) and "Gosen Wakashu" (A Later Selected Collection of Japanese Poetry).
古く『古今和歌集』と『後撰和歌集』の成立時期の前・間・後のいずれの時期で成立したか説が分かれていた。