View source for Matsuo Bashō

'''Bashō''' was a [[Japan|Japanese]] poet who lived from 1644 to 1694. Bashō, or banana tree, was a pen name. His real name was Matsuo Munefusa. [[File:Basho2hokku.jpg|200px|thumb|Right|Basho with two hokku]]  

He is known as the main [[haiku]] poet, even though he did not write ''haiku'' poems. He wrote verses with groups of other poets. The first section, or stanza, was called the ''hokku''. It was the most important part of the poem and had 17 sound parts or syllables. Later on, poets wrote the ''hokku'' by itself. Much later it was called ''haiku''.

He made what had been a social game into an important form of poetry with a [[Zen]] feeling.

In 1689 Bashō began a travel journal ''Oku-no-hosomichi'' (''The Narrow Road to the Deep North'') about his long trip with a friend. The men went from [[Edo]] to near [[Kyoto]]. The trip took 9 months. The journal mixes poetry with daily stories of life on the road.
[[Category:Poets]]
[[Category:Japanese]]
[[Category:Writers]]