Kobayashi Issa

About

Japanese poet and artist best known for his haiku poems and his accompanying drawings. Known simply as "Issa," he is considered one of the four greatest haiku poets in Japanese history.

Before Fame

His mother passed away when he was three years old, and his father sent him to Tokyo when he was fourteen.

Trivia

He wrote more than 20,000 haiku, many of which he also illustrated.

Family Life

He had three children with his first wife, Kiku; sadly, none of them survived childhood.

Associated With

He, like Akiko Yosano, was a Japanese poet.