Basho

Basho, pseudonym of Matsuo Munefusa (1644-94), is considered the master of the haiku form. In his youth Basho was a samurai, but after 1666 he devoted his life to writing poetry. The structure of his haiku reflects the simplicity of his meditative life. When he felt the need for solitude, he withdrew to his basho-an, a hut made of plantain leaves (basho) hence his pseudonym. Influenced by Zen Buddhism, Basho infused a mystical quality into much of his verse and attempted to express universal themes through simple natural images from the harvest moon to the fleas in his cottage. He is revered as the greatest of Japanese poets for his sensitivity and profundity and is particularly noted for his book, Oku-no-hosomichi (Narrow Road to the Interior).

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