Born the son of a temple priest in Hinoto village, Iwate (Morioka); his real name was Hajime. The next year the family moved to Shibutami village.
Set on literature, he left Morioka Middle School for Tokyo, but fell ill and returned home.
He published the poetry collection Akogare (Longing) and married Setsuko.
He became a substitute teacher at the elementary school in his home village of Shibutami.
He crossed to Hokkaido, moving from Hakodate to Sapporo, Otaru and Kushiro while working for newspapers and others.
In Tokyo his novels failed, and he became a proofreader at the Asahi newspaper.
He published the tanka collection Ichiaku no Suna (A Handful of Sand), about the hardships of life and longing for home.
He died young of tuberculosis in Tokyo. His tanka collection Sad Toys was published after his death.
Higuchi IchiyōShimazaki TōsonTayama KataiHata SahachirōHishida ShunsōNoguchi HideyoYosano AkikoTaki Rentarō
People of the Meiji period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.