Haiga is a Japanese painting style often paired with the short poem form haiku.
Haiga combines brush painting, calligraphy, and poetry in a compact visual composition. The image may illustrate something mentioned in the poem, deepen its atmosphere, or create a productive contrast. Both the painting and the poem typically favor suggestion, simplicity, and carefully observed details of everyday life.
The tradition flourished during the Edo period, when poets and artists often practiced haikai composition at gatherings. Matsuo Bashō was an important poet-painter associated with haiga, while Yosa Buson became especially famous for mastering both painting and haiku. Haiga works can show influences from Zen painting, the Kanō school, Ōtsu-e, and nanga.
Haiga is not itself a poem type such as waka or chōka. It is an art form joining visual expression with haiku or related haikai writing. Contemporary artists continue the tradition with photography, digital imagery, and other media.