Who is Matsuo Basho

Matsuo Bashō, (松尾 芭蕉, 1644 – November 28, 1694) born Matsuo Kinsaku, (松尾 金作) then Matsuo Chūemon Munefusa, (松尾 忠右衛門 宗房) was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as the greatest master of haiku (then called hokku). He is also well known for his travel essays beginning with Records of a Weather-Exposed Skeleton (1684), written after his journey west to Kyoto and Nara. Matsuo Bashō's poetry is internationally renowned, and, in Japan, many of his poems are reproduced on monuments and traditional sites. Although Bashō is famous in the West for his hokku, he himself believed his best work lay i...
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Matsuo Basho Poems

  • Autumn Moonlight
    Autumn moonlight--
    a worm digs silently
    into the chestnut.
    ...
  • Winter Solitude
    Winter solitude--
    in a world of one color
    the sound of wind.
    ...
  • With Every Gust Of Wind
    With every gust of wind,
    the butterfly changes its place
    on the willow.
    ...
  • The Shallows
    The shallows â??
    a craneâ??s thighs splashed
    in cool waves
    ...
  • Haiku
    scent of plum blossoms
    on the misty mountain path
    a big rising sun
    ...
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Top 10 most used topics by Matsuo Basho

Winter 12 Autumn 11 Rain 9 Moon 9 Morning 8 Cold 6 Wind 5 Snow 5 World 5 Butterfly 5


Matsuo Basho Quotes

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Comments about Matsuo Basho

Yishreah: since 1966 and still rock n roll. best moment in this 90 year-old coffee shop in yamanaka onsen district where my friend live. he took me to this coffee place, getting to here history, folklore and legend of this town. genroku matsuo basho coffee shop, yamanaka, kaga-shi,…
Independent_zen: “real poetry, is to lead a beautiful life. to live poetry is better than to write it.” ✨ matsuo basho
Royan_arun: learn the rules well, and then forget them. - matsuo basho
Introflection: do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise; seek what they sought. — matsuo bashō
_ui1422: come see real flowers of this painful world matsuo bashō
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Poem of the day

Edgar Albert Guest Poem
The Killing Place
 by Edgar Albert Guest

We're hiking along at a two-forty pace
We 're making life seem like a man-killing race,
With our nerves all on edge and our jaws firmly set
We go rushing along; with our brows lined with sweat
And our cheeks pale and drawn every minute we dash,
And the goal that we 're after is merely more cash.

We 're out for the money, the greenbacks and gold,
...

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