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A Poet Who Walked 2,400km in 150 Days: Why Bashō's Oku no Hosomichi Is a Masterpiece

In 1689 Matsuo Bashō walked 2,400km through Tohoku and Hokuriku in 150 days. The journey produced 'Oku no Hosomichi' — Japan's most beloved travel diary and haiku collection. Why is it still read today?

A deep read

In 1689 Matsuo Bashō walked 2,400 km through Tohoku and Hokuriku over 150 days with his disciple Sora, composing haiku at famous historical sites. The journey produced ‘Oku no Hosomichi,’ combining travel prose with haiku in a form that has been read for 1,300 years. Key poems: ‘Summer grasses — all that remains of warriors’ dreams’ at Hiraizumi, and ‘Such stillness — the cries of cicadas seep into the rocks’ at Risshakuji.

Noh performance — Bashō incorporated the aesthetics of 'kanjaku' (stillness) and impermanence into haiku, creating a poetry of 'negative space' akin to Noh's lingering resonance

Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

Minamoto clan kabuto — Bashō's famous poem at Hiraizumi ('summer grasses — warriors' dreams') was composed at the site where Yoshitsune and the Minamoto warriors fought and died

Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

Horyuji — when Bashō traveled in the 17th century, this Asuka-period structure was already 1,000 years old. His haiku's sense of history resonates with the presence of such ancient temples

Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Key Figures

Matsuo Bashō

Sage of Haiku & Founder of the Shōfū Style

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