Birth: 1644
, Near Ueno, Mie, Ueno, Iga Province
Death: 1694-11-28
, Osaka
Matsuo Basho was a highly influential poet of the Edo period in Japan. He is considered the greatest master of haiku, a form of Japanese poetry consisting of three phrases with a 5, 7, 5 syllable structure. His work is characterized by its simplicity, depth, and profound connection to nature and the human condition. Basho's poetry often evokes a sense of melancholy, impermanence, and the beauty of the fleeting moment, deeply rooted in Zen Buddhist philosophy.