| 1644 | Matsuo Basho was born in Iga City, the second son of Matsuo Yozaemon. | |
|---|---|---|
| 1656 | Age12 | Death of his father. |
| 1662 | Age18 | Entered the service of Todo Shinshichiro Yoshikiyo. From this time was taught haikai by Kitamura Kigin from Kyoto. |
| 1666 | Age22 | Death of his master, Todo Yoshitada. |
| 1672 | Age28 | Dedicated his collection of verses, Kai Oi (Shell Matching) to the Ueno Tenjingu Ueno Tenjin Shrine, Moved to Edo. (present-day Tokyo) |
| 1675 | Age31 | Changed his pseudonym from Sobo to Tosei. |
| 1677 | Age33 | Became a haikai master. |
| 1680 | Age36 | Moved to his hermitage in Fukagawa (Afterwards called the Basho Hut). |
| 1682 | Age38 | First used the pseudonym ‘Basho’. His hermitage was destroyed by fire. |
| 1683 | Age39 | Death of his mother in Ueno. New Basho hermitage was built. |
| 1684 | Age40 | Returned to Iga to pay his respects at his mother’s grave. Basho visited Nagoya to attend a haiku gathering, passing through Yoshino and Ogaki. |
| 1685 | Age41 | From Iga, he returned to Edo, passng through Nara, Kyoto, Otsu and Nagoya, including the Kiso route, depicted in the Nozarashi Kiko (The Records of a Weather-Exposed Skeleton). |
| 1686 | Age42 | Composed the famous haiku: 古池や(Furuike ya) 蛙飛込む(Kawazu tobikomu) 水のおと (Mizu no oto)
The old pond-a frog leaps in, And a splash. |
| 1687 | Age43 | Returned to Iga to hold a memorial service for his mother and father. |
| 1688 | Age44 | Journeyed to Kyoto, passing through Yoshino, Suma and Akashi, depicted in the Oi no Kobumi (The Records of a Travel-Worn Satchell).
Afterwards, Basho returned to Tokyo, staring from Nagoya and passing through Kisoji, Shinanokunisarashina and Zenko-ji, depicted in the Sarashina-Kiko (A Visit to Sarashina). |
| 1689 | Age45 | Set out on a journey to Oshu. Arrived in Ogaki, after travelling around the Tohoku region and northern provinces of Honshu.
Travel journal Oku no Hosomichi (The Narrow Road to the Deep North). Stayed in Iga, Kyoto and Otsu. |
| 1690 | Age46 | Returned to Iga. Afterwards, stayed in his hermitage in Otsu, Genju-an (Unreal Hut). |
| 1691 | Age47 | Stayed in Rakushisya (House of the Fallen Persimmons),Kyoto. Sarumino (The Monkey’s Cloak) was published. Returned to Edo. |
| 1692 | Age48 | The third Basho Hut was built. |
| 1694 | Age50 | Completion of a full copy of The Narrow Road to the Deep North. After returning to Iga, Basho arrived in Osaka, passing through Nara. He fell ill and died in Osaka. |
Copy translated from Matsuo Basho, Characters in Japanese History, from Shogakukan.