Haiku, Japan's most popular verse form, originated in 
the 13th century, but did not evolve into a full art until the 17th century, when the master, Basho, a student of Zen Buddhism, refined the ancient form into true poetry. In Japanese (but not always in translation), the haiku consists of 17 syllables in three lines of five, seven, five, syllables respectively. The only type of Japanese poetry having no meter and no rhyme, it is also the shortest of all Japanese poetic forms.