Here is my YouTube video of this episode. By the second half of the 17th century, the political situation had stabilized. In Osaka and Kyoto, a new culture led by the townspeople developed. This is called the Genroku culture. Chikamatsu Monzaemon was a playwright of ningyo joruri. Ningyo joruri is a puppet play in which a tayu tells a story to the accompaniment of shamisen music. Monzaemon produced a number of hits, capturing people’s hearts with his depictions of men and women torn between duty and humanity. Matsuo Basho was a man who elevated haiku to the level of an art form. Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry with…