Santoka Taneda (his real name was Shoichi), called a wandering poet, was born as the eldest son of a large landowner at Hachioji district in Hofu City in 1882. He became a priest at the age of 44 in 1925 and then the head priest of Mitori-Kannon-Do Hall, a temple dedicated to Kannon (Goddess of Mercy), at Ueki-cho Town in Kumamoto Prefecture. However he suddenly became a beggar poet wandering throughout Japan. During his long wandering for seven years, he composed many haiku poems wherever he went. In 1932, he built a hermitage "Gochu-an" in Ogori Town (Yamaguchi City), then moved to Yuda district (Yamaguchi City) and further moved to Matsuyama City in Ehime Prefecture and finished his lifetime at the age of 59 on October 11th in 1940 at his hermitage "Isso-an". It is said that he passed away by sudden death just as his heart's desire.