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Haiku Masters
The three great masters of Haiku, in order of importance, are Matsuo Basho, Yosa Buson, and Kobayashi Issa. Matsuo Basho, born Matsuo Kinsaku in 1644, is considered the father of haiku because his work helped make the hokku an essential aspect of Japanese poetry. Master Basho moved to Edo in 1672 and began teaching. He was deeply beloved by his pupils, who built him a hut with a banana tree in the yard, inspiring the haigo, or pen name, of 'Basho.' After a set of hardships rocked Basho's humble existence, he took to the roads of medieval Japan, returning to Edo in 1685 with volumes of poetry he published in Account of a Weather-Beaten Skeleton. He died in 1694 surrounded by his students. Yosa Buson moved to Edo in 1737 in order to study his first love, painting. However, the spark of haiku ignited in him a passion that made him an integral aspect of the Back to Basho Movement. Buson's skill makes him one of the most excellent painters during the Edo period and his artistic eye contributed to the meticulous imagery in his poetry. He died in 1783 after composing three poems which were later published in The Anthology of Buson's Haiku. Kobayashi Issa is the third and last of the great haiku poets. From his birth in 1763, until his death in 1827, Issa lived a tragic life. His works portray the everyday lives of the Shinsho peasants in his village with an often humorous and playful style. He was sent to Edo by his father at fourteen to study poetry. His writing is often more soothing and personal than that of his predecessors. After living through poverty, seeing his children die, and two unhappy marriages, Issa died in 1827, shortly before the birth of a baby girl.