Buson was born in the village of Kema in Settsu Province (now Osaka). At around the age of 20, he moved to Edo (now Tokyo) and learned poetry under the tutelage of the haikai master Hayano Hajin. After Hajin died, and following in the footsteps of his idol, Matsuo Bashō, Buson travelled through the wilds of northern Honshū that had been the inspiration for Bashō's famous travel diary, Oku no Hosomichi (The Narrow Road to the Interior). He published his notes from the trip in 1744, marking the first time he published under the name Buson. After travelling through various parts of Japan, including Tango and Sanuki, Buson settled down in the city of Kyoto. He married at the age of 45 and had one daughter, Kuno. From this point on, he remained in Kyoto, writing and teaching poetry at the Sumiya. Buson died at the age of 68 and was buried at Konpuku-ji in Kyoto. This new translation of Buson’s verse will be of great interest to all who admire haiku, and especially the work of “The Great Four” – Basho, Issa, Shiki and Buson.
