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A haiku poet of the early Edo period, born in Iga-Ueno (present-day Iga City, Mie Prefecture). He devoted himself to haiku from childhood, later moving to Edo to study under Kitamura Kigin. He established the distinctive "Shōfū" style (wabi, sabi, karumi, fueki-ryūkō) and revolutionized the haiku world. From his Bashō-an hut in Fukagawa he undertook five major journeys, composing verse on the natural scenery, local customs, and people of each region. His 1689 "Oku no Hosomichi" journey (approximately 2,400 km over roughly 150 days) is especially famous, producing masterpieces such as "the old pond—a frog jumps in, sound of water" and "summer grasses—all that remains of warriors' dreams." His disciples spread nationwide, and the Shōmon school's influence extends through Edo haiku to the modern haiku form. He died at 51 during a journey in Ōsaka.

A man who loved travel and solitude, possessing a keen sensibility attuned to the subtlest changes in nature. He sublimated a Zen-influenced sense of impermanence and an aesthetic of quietness into haiku. Strict yet warm in guiding his disciples, he maintained throughout his life the seeker's attitude of pursuing the "sincerity of haiku."

Bashō's haiku have spread worldwide as the "haiku" form, making it the most internationally recognized Japanese literary genre. "The old pond—a frog jumps in, sound of water" is one of the most translated Japanese verses in the world. Oku no Hosomichi is a staple of Japanese school curricula and forms part of the cultural literacy of every Japanese person.