Haiku MasterMatsuo Basho radically redefined the three-line, 17-syllable poetic form of haiku, transforming it from an entertaining pastime in 16th-century Japan to a major literary genre in the 17th century. One of Basho's early haikus provides an example of his meticulous and sensitive approach in selecting and arranging words and images to produce highly evocative allusions: On a leafless branch In the autumn twilight: A solitary crow! The haiku emanates from the 31 syllables and five lines "tanka" (short poem) which was originally arranged in two parts, an opening triplet (hokku) and a couplet. The Haiku form was popularized during the Heian period (794-1185). At that time, it was customary for Japan's educated elite to write, sing, and recite poetry as forms of cultural entertainment. Furthermore, the social customs of the time required the aristocracy of refined court society to demonstrate both a sensitivity to nature in their poetic expression and an ability to discuss the poetic classics of literature Japanese and Chinese. Tanka could then express wealth ...