Matsuo Bashō
1644–1694 · Japanese (Ueno, Iga Province) · Edo Period Japan
Known for: Greatest master of haiku—The Narrow Road to the Deep North, elevated haiku to high art
Bashō was a samurai's son who became a wandering poet-monk, traveling Japan on foot and composing haiku that distilled entire landscapes and emotions into 17 syllables. He studied Zen Buddhism and Chinese poetry, and his work combines Zen immediacy with deep feeling.
He established haiku (then called hokku) as a serious literary form, not merely a party game. He traveled thousands of miles on foot through dangerous territory, sleeping in temples and farmhouses. His Narrow Road to the Deep North is a masterpiece of the poetic travel journal. He died on the road, as he had wished.
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