The term haikai 俳句 (originally from the Japanese haikai no renga 俳句の連歌 ) refers to a playful and unorthodox school of Japanese collaborative poetry that originated during the medievel period and flourished in the 17th century. Literally translating to jesting or comic linked verse, it served as the direct ancestor to modern literary forms like haiku 俳諧 , renku れんく , and haibun 俳文
A Rebellion Against Courtly Tradition
Before haikai emerged, Japanese upper classes practiced a highly formal, cooperative type of poetry called renga (linked verse). Renga strictly required elegant language, courtly vocabulary, and classical themes like cherry blossoms and moonlight. By the 16th and 17th centuries, ordinary citizens and lower-class samurai sought a style that reflected their own lives. Haikai was born out of this desire, trading aristocratic rules for wit, everyday slang, and humor.