About Mukai Kyorai
Lived 1651 – 1704 (aged 52–53). Mukai Kyorai was a Japanese poet and writer.
was a Japanese haiku poet, and a close disciple of Matsuo Bashō.
Family and character A physician's son, Kyorai was born in Nagasaki to a samurai family. Fond of the martial arts, he was after his death described as having "a soft part and a hard part at the same time".
His wife Kana-jo and sister Chine-jo were also notable haiku writers.
As poet Kyorai connected with Bashō in the 1680s, at the time when the latter was developing his theories of sabi, by which Kyorai was strongly influenced.
In 1691 he was one of the compilers, together with Nozawa Bonchō, of the Sarumino (Monkey's Straw Raincoat) Bashō-school collection. After Bashō's death he produced Kyoraishō, a rich source for the ideas of, and anecdotes about, his master.
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Important facts
People in Mukai Kyorai's life
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Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Mukai Kyorai?
Japanese poet
When was Mukai Kyorai born?
Mukai Kyorai was born in 1651 in Nagasaki.
When did Mukai Kyorai die?
Mukai Kyorai died on 8 October 1704 in Shōgo-in Temple.
What was Mukai Kyorai's occupation?
Mukai Kyorai was a poet and writer.
What nationality was Mukai Kyorai?
Mukai Kyorai was Japanese.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Mukai Kyorai. https://biography.guide/mukai-kyorai/
MLA: "Mukai Kyorai." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/mukai-kyorai/.
Chicago: "Mukai Kyorai." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/mukai-kyorai/.
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