Kigo
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A kigo is a word or phrase associated with a particular season, used in traditional forms of Japanese poetry. Kigo are used in the collaborative linked-verse forms renga and renku, as well as in haiku
Cherry blossoms (sakura), often simply called blossoms (hanami) are a common spring kigo.
The moon is associated with autumn in Japanese poetry.
A sunflower, a typical summer kigo.
A large Jacaranda tree in full bloom
Matsuo Bashō
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Matsuo Bashō; born Matsuo Kinsaku, later known as Matsuo Chūemon Munefusa was the most famous Japanese poet of the Edo period. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborat
Kigo
…like June gloom and smog, Forest fires, seasonal events like the Tournament of Roses Parade, and local flora like the Jacaranda. In the famous haiku by Matsuo Bashō below, "frog" (蛙, kawazu) is a kigo for spring. Haiku had been traditionally written about the singing of mating frogs, but Bashō chose to focus on a…
Portrait by Morikawa Kyoriku, 17th century
Bashō's supposed birthplace in Iga Province
A statue commemorating Matsuo Bashō's arrival in Ōgaki
Bashō's grave in Ōtsu, Shiga Prefecture