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Matsuo Bashō

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Poet

The Resume

    (1644-November 28, 1694)
    Born in Iga Province, Japan
    Birth name was Matsuo Kinsaku
    Known (especially in the West) for his haiku
    Wrote the prose and verse travel diary 'Oku no Hosomichi' ('The Narrow Road to the Interior; published posthumously, 1702)

Why he might be annoying:

    He lived in huts built by his disciples.
    He was involved in same-sex affairs with several of his disciples.
    He would become reclusive and refuse to see anyone for months at a time.
    He was deified by the Shinto bureaucracy (1793), making criticism of him literally blasphemous.

Why he might not be annoying:

    His poetry was praised for its simple and natural style.
    His poems are reproduced on many monuments in Japan.
    He influenced Ezra Pound and the Beat Generation.
    A crater on Mercury was named after him.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 5 Votes: 80.0% Annoying