Matsuo Basho, born Matsuo Kinsaku, then Matsuo Chuemon Munefusa, was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Basho was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as the greatest master of haiku.
Born: 1644, Iga Province
Died: November 28, 1694, Osaka, Osaka, Japan

it's not like anything
they compare it to~
the summer moon
~Basho

Yosa Buson or Yosa no Buson was a Japanese poet and painter of the Edo period. Along with Matsuo Basho and Kobayashi Issa, Buson is considered among the greatest poets of the Edo Period. And, he is known for completing haiga as a style of art. Wikipedia Born: 1716, Settsu Province
Died: January 17, 1784, Konpuku-ji, Kyoto

the winter river
down it come floating
flowers offered to Buddha
~Buson

Kobayashi Issa was a Japanese poet and lay Buddhist priest of the Jodo Shinshu. He is known for his haiku poems and journals. He is better known as simply Issa, a pen name meaning Cup-of-tea. He is regarded as one of the four haiku masters in Japan, along with Basho, Buson and Shiki — "the Great Four."
Born: June 15, 1763, Kashiwabara
Died: January 5, 1828, Shinano Province

don't worry spiders
I keep house
casually
~Issa

Masaoka Shiki, pen-name of Masaoka Noboru, was a Japanese poet, author, and literary critic in Meiji period Japan. Shiki is regarded as a major figure in the development of modern haiku poetry, credited with writing nearly 20,000 stanzas during his short life. He also wrote on reform of tanka poetry.
Born: October 14, 1867, Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan
Died: September 19, 1902, Tokyo, Japan

for me going
for you staying here
two autumns
~Shiki