The Japanese word, waka, has had various meanings over the centuries, but today, it mostly refers to any type of Japanese poetry. A common distinguishing characteristic of different styles of waka is the number of syllables per line. One example is tanka, the most often used poetry type in Japanese history. It is a five line poem with a 5-7-5-7-7 syllables per line pattern. Another is sedōka, often used as an exchange between lovers. It is a six line poem with a 5-7-7-5-7-7 pattern.

Early in the 17th century, a new form of poetry became popular, Renku or haikai no renga. It was a form of linked poetry. At renku gatherings, participating poets took turns providing alternating verses. The opening verse of renku (called hokku) evolved into haiku. Haiku has a 5-7-5 syllable pattern. Another distinguishing characteristic is that except for some early versions, all haiku makes some reference to the seasons (kigo), no matter how subtle. Haiku that doesn't follow the rules is called senryū. Haiku is still popular today and has taken hold as an accepted form of Western poetry, though the similarity between Japanese and Western haiku is pretty loose.

Matsuo Bashō was the most famous poet of the Edo Period. He was widely recognized for his mastery of haikai no renga and has since been recognized as the world's greatest master of haiku. He wrote about 1,000 of them. The most famous collection of haiku in Japan is Bashō's Oku no Hosomichi (The Narrow Road to the Deep North).

The 1693 painting below is from a hanging scroll painted by Morikawa Kyoriku (1656 - 1715). It depicts Bashō and Sora, a student companion, on pilgrimage.

The following painting of Bashō is by Katsushika Hokusai (1760 - 1849).

One of Bashō's most famous haiku is shown below.

You can feel that wind cutting right through you.

Matsuo Bashō (1644 - 1694) was born to a samurai family. He was never elevated to samurai status but instead, it is believed, was appointed to serve under Tōdō Yoshitada in some humble capacity. Yoshitada loved haiku (called hokku in those days), and the two of them shared their enthusiasm, creating haiku pen names for themselves. Bashō's was Sōbō. His earliest extant haiku was published in 1662. Bashō produced more poetry with Yoshitada and others until Toshitada's untimely death in 1666. That ended whatever ambitions for elevation Bashō may have had (he was vague about that). He continued to publish poetry and eventually moved to Edo in 1672 to further his studies. In two years, he was admitted into the inner circle of the haikai profession. By 1680, he had a full-time job teaching twenty disciples.

In spite of his success, Bashō felt lonely and depressed. Buddhist meditation did not help. In 1684, he left Edo to travel alone on the very dangerous, bandit ridden, Edo Five Routes, fully expecting to die alone in some remote area. Instead, his mood lightened as he became used to the road, was enchanted by natural surroundings, and made new friends. This was the first of four major travels Bashō made, experiences that greatly influenced his poetry.

In 1689, Bashō left on his most famous trip with Kawai Sora, one of his students, to visit the northern provinces of Honshū. The trip is described in his masterwork Oku no Hosomichi, (The Narrow Road to the Deep North). One of the side excursions they took was to Risshaku-ji, a mountain temple that required climbing more than a thousand steps to visit.

Bashō was thoroughly enchanted with the place. It is this trip of his to Risshaku-ji and a haiku he wrote on the way climbing up the steps that has inspired my demonstration painting this week. See unit 6.2 for more information about it.

After the last of Bashō's travels, he once again fell into depression, sometimes shutting out all visitors for extended periods of time; once for as much as a month. This period ended when he adopted the semi-Buddhist principle of karumi (lightness), the acceptance of the mundane world rather than isolation from it. In 1694, he left Edo with a number of his disciples. After passing through Ueno where he had been born and Kyōto, they arrived at Osaka where Bashō contracted a stomach disorder and passed away peacefully.

This is Bashō's last recorded poem:

Bashō is buried in Ōtsu, Shiga Prefecture.

Today, Bashō's poetry has been translated in many languages around the world. He is recognized as Japan's greatest poet, and his name is inseparable from haiku.