Danrin school

The Danrin school was a significant movement in Japanese poetry founded by Nishiyama Sōin during the early Tokugawa period. This school focused on haikai, a more comical form of renga (linked verse). Sōin's work served as a bridge between the lighter haikai of Matsunaga Teitoku and the more aesthetic haiku developed by Matsuo Bashō. The Danrin school attracted students dissatisfied with older poetic styles, contributing to the evolution of Japanese poetic forms. While later periods saw Western influences introduce new literary styles and forms, traditional Japanese poetry, including haiku, continued to be a vital mode of expression.123