However, at that time a lot of works were written in literary style Japanese: HIGUCHI Ichiyo, who learned at "Waka School" and was versed in Japanese classics, wrote "Nigorie", "Takekurabe" and so on in the gabuntai style, using the breathing of the classics, MORI Ogai, who challenged a genbinicchi style in his translations, adopted literal style Japanese, and in the field of critical essays Tokoku KITAMURA and Shusui KOTOKU wrote essays in "kanbun-kakikudashi-bun (semi-Chinese style Japanese)".
しかし、そのころはまだ文語文の作品も多く書かれ、和歌の塾に通い、古典の教養を持っていた樋口一葉は古文の呼吸をつかった雅文体で「にごりえ」「たけくらべ」などの作品を書き、翻訳で言文一致を試みた森鴎外も、「舞姫」や「即興詩人」では文語にもどし、評論の分野では北村透谷や幸徳秋水は、漢文書き下しの文体を使って論文を書いていた。