Hokku

nature is linked to human life. Basho wandered through Japan, writing “Haikus” based on his observations. Haiku comes from a “first verse” called hokku. Basho’s poetry expressed his views on nature through the form of Haiku. These views were expressed through a simple, yet meaningful poetic form, and it made Haiku popular. Masaoka Shiki transformed hokku into a new, independent form, called Haiku, and it evolved into the modern form we see today. Haiku is an important form of poetry because