Many early haiku poets recognized this, writing purely from the heart and without too much subjective interpretation, perhaps reflecting their adoption of Zen philosophy.

Basho is but one early haiku poet that took Zen moralisms and philosophies to heart when writing haiku. Many believe that Basho wrote purely from Zen tradition, providing contrasting images of time and setting using only observation. Basho notes that "from ancient times those with a feeling for refinement find joy in knowing the truth and insight of things" (Yasuda, 1973:3) reflected that haiku is more about understanding nature and one's path toward enlightenment.

Those creating haiku often attempt to suggest in the simplest manner possible things natural in nature; the job of the artist or poet is merely to suggest the essence of an object or event, expressing the qualities of the object which are natural art in and of themselves (Lieberman, 2005). This sentiment...
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