In 1689, the poet Matsuo Basho set off on a five-month journey into the mountains north of the capital, Edo. Along the way he paused to compose poems that are today revered for their clarity of observation. Ostensibly a travel diary, Narrow Road to the Interior is artful and carefully sculpted, filled with rich allusions to literature and Zen. This volume includes the complete text in English with annotations, as well as an additional translation of a sequence of renga "linked verse" featuring Basho and his traveling companion, Sora.