Tazuo Basho Yamaguchi has earned a national reputation as a poet, touring performer, Haiku master and filmmaker for a full decade through his solo tours, his films, his long list of collaborations with some of the nation’s finest poets and artists, two national haiku championships, and his "provocative" poetry workouts and workshops that guide the voices of youth to the elders. He is a Japanese American poet and spoken word craftsman with a deep heritage in Shigin Poetry (poet, chanter, and storytellers of the royal court of Japan.)  He holds a Masters Degree in education and two bachelor degrees in communication and psychology.

Tazuo is also an established multimedia illustrator, animator, and designer who has worked with creative organizations such as Lucasfilm LTD. The power of the written and spoken word has given him a medium to express his mystic journey of being healed of cancer when he was eleven years old. With this strong base value for life and a love for the poetic and musical human learning process, he speaks out with a graceful presence full of artistic power.

The Dallas Morning News calls Tazuo "a modern road warrior telling mythic tales through spoken words and digital films." In a review after winning a Chico poetry slam, The Buzz said, “Yamaguchi’s poems become interactive movies in your mind bringing ancient Asian elements together with modern pop culture...” Peter Rabbit calls him “the poet with the brass balls.” Commenting on how in the heat of a poetry slam off, Yamaguchi would whip out a fully improvisational poem.

Highlights of his work include the official host of the national head to head haiku competitions, sharing the stage with America’s finest poets, opening for notable names like Maceo Parker, KRS-One, Gary Snyder, William J. Higginson, Sonia Sanchez, Coleman Barks, Saul Williams, and Jello Biafra, exchanging poems and interviewing the great Nanao Sakaki, winning two national haiku head to head titles, performing and filming the SlamAmerica bus tour, Producing the first ever DVD of the National Poetry Slam, Being a part of the extremely talented and ever-growing Poetry Slamnation,

Tazuo is the author of Bishiki (ten years of Haiku insights, rituals, and poems) published by WordSmith Press, Film Director and Editor of the first film ever about English written Haiku: The Art of The Short Poem published by Brooks Books,  four chapbooks books, three CD’s, Director and producer of three films, director and producer of 22 National Poetry Slam DVDs,  an old school poetry slam champion, coach of the award winning Chico youth poets for seven years, and a producer of poetry events and slams in the Sacramento valley of northern California.