The Danrin school is a school of haikai

Haikai

Haikai is a poetic genre that includes a number of forms which embrace the aesthetics of haikai no renga, and what Bashō referred to as the "poetic spirit" , including haiku, renku , haibun, haiga and senryū ."Haikai" is sometimes used as an abbreviation for "haikai no...

 poetry

Poetry

Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...

 founded by the poet Nishiyama Sōin

Nishiyama Soin

was a haikai-no-renga poet of the early Tokugawa period. He founded the Danrin school of haikai poetry, which aimed to move away from the serious 'bookishness' popular in Japanese poetry at the time and become more in touch with the common people, infusing a spirit of greater freedom into their...

. The name literally means 'talkative forest'. It aimed to move away from the serious 'bookishness' popular in Japanese poetry at the time and to become more in touch with the common people, therefore infusing a greater spirit of freedom into their poetry. The Danrin school favored the usage of plain language, everyday subjects, and the use of humor. They explored people's daily life for sources of playfulness, though they were often accused of ending up with mere frivolity. The renowned poet Matsuo Bashō

Matsuo Basho

, born , then , was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as a master of brief and clear haiku...

was once member of the Danrin school, though he later broke away from it.