Shiki Masaoka, the haiku poet, was born in Matsuyama in 1867. Shiki is well known in Japan for introducing a new style of haiku, a short poetic form, and for enhancing the arts.
In his last years, he spent much time in bed, as he was ill with spinal tuberculosis from the age of 30. Still he continues to produce such creative works as poems and paintings of nature until he died in 1902, at the age of 36. He produced some of the masterpieces of his era.