Poet, tanka poet and critic; his given name was Hajime. While at Morioka Middle School he read “Myojo” closely and, under the influence of Akiko Yosano’s “Midaregami”, set his heart on modern poetry; he left the school in 1902 and moved to Tokyo, returning home the following year. He then became a member of the Shinshisha. In 1905 he published the poetry collection “Akogare”. While working as a substitute teacher at his old school in Shibutami village he wrote fiction, and after a wandering life in Hokkaido moved to Tokyo in 1908 and set to work; his fiction was not recognised, but he opened new ground in the tanka. He later worked as a proofreader for the Asahi Shimbun and as selector for its poetry column. His collection “A Handful of Sand” (1910), rich in sentiment and sweet lyricism, was welcomed for its frank singing of ordinary life and its unusual three-line setting, and established his standing as a poet.