Distressed by the lack of originality in the Haikai of the time, he promoted a return to Basho's style. He was instrumental in establishing the Tenmyou style that applied the concept of "departure from the ordinary" used in painting and poetry.
独創性を失った当時の俳諧を憂い『蕉風回帰』を唱え、絵画用語である『離俗論』を句に適用した天明調の俳諧を確立させた中心的な人物である。