Matsuo Basho — The Traveling Poet
If you have delved even a little into Japanese poetry, it is very likely that you know this poem written by Matsuo Bashō 松尾芭蕉considered by many as “ The poet of Japan “
In his time, at the end of the 17th century, Basho was already recognized as one of the best poets of his time. On his pilgrimages, aspiring poets followed him wherever he went and people invited him to their home to give him a place to eat and rest from his long walks through the villages. It is thanks to these people that much is known about Basho’s life and what his day-to-day life was like.
Basho was born into a low-ranking samurai family in the town of Ueno , Iga Province (now Mie Prefecture). Around the age of 12, he became a servant to Todo Yoshitada , a young relative of the daimyo (feudal lord) who ruled area. They shared an interest in poetry which made their relationship become closer and closer. However, shortly after the young lord died, which greatly disturbed Basho, to the point of leaving his hometown for Kyoto, abandoning his ambitions as a samurai although at this time he had not yet committed to poetry as a profession.
Poetry gradually became his life as he worked on preparing anthologies of the works of other writers and his personal reputation as a poet of haikai , the poetic form predecessor of haiku , grew in Kyoto and later in Edo, when he moved to the capital. He had many friends and disciples who helped him in his daily life, for example, on one occasion they rebuilt his hut since it had fallen prey to a fire in the city. He worked together with other poets quite frequently, which made him become a prominent member of this community.
