Yosa Buson

Who was Yosa Buson?

Yosa Buson or Yosa no Buson was a Japanese poet and painter of the Edo period. Along with Matsuo Bashō and Kobayashi Issa, Buson is considered among the greatest poets of the Edo Period. Buson was born in the village of Kema in Settsu Province city. His original family name was Taniguchi.

Around the age of 20, Buson moved to Edo and learned poetry under the tutelage of the haikai master Hayano Hajin. After Hajin died, Buson moved to Shimōsa Province. Following in the footsteps of his idol, Matsuo Bashō, Buson traveled through the wilds of northern Honshū that had been the inspiration for Bashō's famous travel diary, Oku no Hosomichi. He published his notes from the trip in 1744, marking the first time he published under the name Buson.

After traveling through various parts of Japan, including Tango and Sanuki, Buson settled down in the city of Kyoto at the age of 42. It is around this time that he began to write under the name of Yosa, which he took from his mother's birthplace.