"[5] Bashō was introduced to poetry at a young age, and after integrating himself into the intellectual scene of Edo (modern Tokyo) he quickly became well known throughout Japan.

He made a living as a teacher; but then renounced the social, urban life of the literary circles and was inclined to wander throughout the country, heading west, east, and far into the northern wilderness to gain inspiration for his writing.

[9] In his late teens, Bashō became a servant to Tōdō Yoshitada (藤堂 良忠) most likely in some humble capacity,[6][10] and probably not promoted to full samurai class.

[15] Biographers have proposed various reasons and destinations, including the possibility of an affair between Bashō and a Shinto miko named Jutei (寿貞), which is unlikely to be true.

[6] He wrote this hokku in mock tribute to the shōgun: 甲比丹もつくばはせけり君が春 kapitan mo / tsukubawasekeri / kimi ga haru the Dutchmen, too, / kneel before His Lordship— / spring under His reign.

[1678] When Nishiyama Sōin, founder and leader of the Danrin school of haikai, came to Edo from Osaka in 1675, Bashō was among the poets invited to compose with him.

[29] His poems took on a less introspective and more striking tone as he observed the world around him: 馬をさへながむる雪の朝哉 uma wo sae / nagamuru yuki no / ashita kana even a horse / arrests my eyes—on this / snowy morrow [1684] The trip took him from Edo to Mount Fuji, Ueno, and Kyoto.

[Notes 2] He met several poets who called themselves his disciples and wanted his advice; he told them to disregard the contemporary Edo style and even his own Shriveled Chestnuts, saying it contained "many verses that are not worth discussing".

In early 1686, Bashō composed one of his best-remembered haiku: 古池や蛙飛びこむ水の音 furu ike ya / kawazu tobikomu / mizu no oto an ancient pond / a frog jumps in / the splash of water [1686] This poem became instantly famous.

In the autumn of 1687 he journeyed to the countryside for moon watching, and made a longer trip in 1688 when he returned to Ueno to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

[33] At the same time, he retained a subtle sense of humor, as reflected in his hokku: いざさらば雪見にころぶ所迄 iza saraba / yukimi ni korobu / tokoromade now then, let's go out / to enjoy the snow ... until / I slip and fall!

They then walked to the western side of the island, touring Kisakata on July 30, and began hiking back at a leisurely pace along the coastline.

During this 150-day journey Bashō traveled a total of 600 ri (2,400 km) through the northeastern areas of Honshū, returning to Edo in late 1691.

Finally, he relented after adopting the principle of karumi or "lightness", a semi-Buddhist philosophy of greeting the mundane world rather than separating from it.

[37] Although he did not compose a formal death poem,[38] the following is generally accepted as his poem of farewell: 旅に病んで夢は枯野をかけ廻る tabi ni yande / yume wa kareno wo / kake meguru falling sick on a journey / my dream goes wandering / on a withered field [1694][39][40] Rather than sticking to the formulas of kigo (季語), which remain popular in Japan even today, Bashō aspired to reflect his real environment and emotions in his hokku.

[42] However, Shiki was also instrumental in making Bashō's poetry accessible in English,[43] and to leading intellectuals and the Japanese public at large.

He invented the term haiku (replacing hokku) to refer to the freestanding 5–7–5 form which he considered the most artistic and desirable part of the haikai no renga.

[45] Critical interpretation of Bashō's poems continued into the 20th century, with notable works by Yamamoto Kenkichi, Imoto Nōichi, and Ogata Tsutomu.

[47] The impressionistic and concise nature of Bashō's verse greatly influenced Ezra Pound, the Imagists, and poets of the Beat Generation.

Even establishing 50 poems that, presenting this 5-7-5 pattern, could be framed in another structure (due to the placement of the particle "ya"), the figure is similar.

[51] In 2003, an international anthology film titled Winter Days adapted Basho's 1684 renku collection of the same name into a series of animations.