He contributed to the reform of tanka by highly praising the Manyoshu (Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves) and repudiating the Kokin Wakashu (A Collection of Ancient and Modern Japanese Poetry) while criticizing waka in the Edo era for being rigidly confined in form.
古今和歌集を否定し万葉集を高く評価して、江戸時代までの形式にとらわれた和歌を非難しつつ、短歌の革新につとめた。