Editing Haiku (section)

===Bashō===
{{Main|Matsuo Bashō|Hokku}}
In the 17th century, two masters arose who elevated ''[[haikai]]'' and gave it a new popularity. They were Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694) and [[Uejima Onitsura]] (1661–1738). ''[[Hokku]]'' is the first verse of the collaborative ''haikai'' or ''[[renku]]'', but its position as the opening verse made it the most important, setting the tone for the whole composition. Even though ''hokku'' had sometimes appeared individually, they were always understood in the context of ''renku''.<ref name=sato /> The Bashō school promoted standalone ''hokku'' by including many in their anthologies, thus giving birth to what is now called "haiku".  Bashō also used his ''hokku'' as torque points {{clarify|date=May 2017}} within his short prose sketches and longer travel diaries. This subgenre of ''haikai'' is known as ''[[haibun]]''. His best-known work, ''[[Oku no Hosomichi]]'', or ''Narrow Roads to the Interior'', is counted as one of the classics of Japanese literature<ref>Yuasa, Nobuyuki. ''The Narrow Road to the Deep North and other travel sketches'', Penguin 1966, {{ISBN|0-14-044185-9}} p.39</ref> and has been translated into English extensively.

Bashō was deified by both the imperial government and [[Shinto]] religious headquarters one hundred years after his death because he raised the haikai genre from a playful game of wit to sublime poetry. He continues to be revered as a saint of poetry in Japan, and is the one name from classical Japanese literature that is familiar throughout the world.<ref>Rimer, J. Thomas. ''A Reader's Guide to Japanese Literature'', Kodansha International 1988, {{ISBN|4-7700-1396-5}} pp.69-70</ref>