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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Matsuo Basho Quotes

• Seek not to follow in the footsteps of men of old; seek what they sought.
• Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought.

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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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