1. Grant Caldwell
2. Australia
3. Yes
4. three line (sometimes one line) haiku or senyru – some people call them “rooku” (as in kangaroo/haiku!): essentially the principles of haiku, or senyru, although there is  an uneven appreciation of what this means (as everywhere). i.e. seasonal reference and/or ironic/satirical substance. syllable length is generally not adhered to but general rule of between nine and 17 syllables: one broken phrase and one fragment on its own, I varying order and form.
5. these “haiku” are very popular among poets – many poets explore the form; some almost exclusively. This has happened only recently, in the last ten to fifteen years. Not many journals publish this work very much but there is one that does – Famous Reporter – along with other types of poetry – they have a separate haiku editor. there is far more live reading of this work, and there are a number of collections that have been published in the last five years. There have also been two series of haiku on trains – 50 or so haiku printed and framed and posted on the metropolitan train network trains – each poet paid $50 for each poem.
6. Haiku very well known. Tanka is also known but less so. the magazine I edit: Blue Dog, published three tanks in the last issue.

 7 and 8.The influence is difficult to gauge, but it has no doubt had some influence on the succinctness of poetry in general, and the suggestion of the seasons.
  9.  I have been writing the short poem, haiku or senyru for approximately 25 years, although my knowledge of the form has only been refined more adequately in the past five years. what I recall as my very first poem was a short form, possibly a senyru:

                                            a glass of water
                                            sits still clear stable solid
                                            collecting dust
                                                                        (circa 1973)

I have been greatly impressed and influenced by the haiku and senyru of (in particular) Basho, Buson and Issa. A study of Taoism has linked the work of these poets (and other short form masters) with each other and influenced my poetry in general, both the substance and my attitude to the writing of it. There is an elegance and simplicity and economy of suggestion that is rarely possible in other forms.