The greatest of Japan's haiku poets and the greatest poet of his age, Basho raised the genre from a mediocre entertainment to serious verse and contributed greatly to its poetics. The work of his peak period is characterized by evocations of humankind's ultimate harmony with nature. He traveled widely, recording his journeys in his lyrical poetic diaries. He had numerous disciples, and haiku has remained a vigorous form of poetry to the present.
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