Takarai Kikaku

Takarai Kikaku (Japanese: 宝井其角; 1661–1707) also known as Enomoto Kikaku, was a Japanese haikai poet and among the most accomplished disciples of Matsuo Bashō.

[1][2] His father was an Edo doctor, but Kikaku chose to become a professional haikai poet rather than follow in his footsteps.

[2] Kikaku set the tone for haikai from Basho death until the time of Yosa Buson in the late 18th century[2] He also left an important historical document, describing Bashō's final days, and the immediate aftermath of his death, which has been translated into English.

[3] In commemoration of the 300th anniversary of Kikaku's death, Nobuyuki Yuasa led an international bilingual (Japanese and English) renku, or collaborative linked poem, which opened with the following hokku by Kikaku:[4] which Bashō changed to, thus saying that poetry should add life to life, not take life away from life.

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