The Art of the Japanese Death Poem: Basho's Last Stanzabr Commonwealth Club - The Commonwealth Club of Californiabr Learn about Japan's legendary 17th-century poet Matsuo Basho, the creator of haiku.Jane Reichhold discusses Basho: The Complete Haiku, the first translation of all of Basho's haiku by a non-Japanese person.She portrays the life of Basho and discusses the influence haiku has had on poetry of the 20th century, the basic structure, and how haiku can enrich your life.