Haiku: Seasons of Japanese Poetry Book

The art of Haiku, one of the most striking and beautiful of poetic forms, was officially born in Japan at the beginning of the Tokugawa shogunate (1603 - 1770). Originally known as haikai or hokku, this poetic form has always consisted of a three-lined verse of seventeen syllables, arranged in alternating lines of five, seven and five syllables each. The haiku style grew out of the popular pastime known as tanka verse. But unlike the Renga, which was considered more of a game than a true poetic genre, the miniature haikai literary form eventually took on a life of its own. It was first elevated into a high literary form by the seventeenth century poet Matsuo Basho (1644 -94), who drew his inspiration from the teachings of ancient religious philosophers, while later artists, including Poet Kobayashi Issa (1763 -1828) and famed literary critic Masaoka Shiki (1867 - 1902), revived and enriched its style. Today haiku remains the most popular form of literary expression in Japan while its popularity in the West continues to grow.