Ikan CHIKAMATSU, his grandfather, served Hideyori TOYOTOMI and was successful in military exploits, and later served the Hiroshima domain as an excellent doctor appointed to hogen (the second highest rank for Buddhist priests).
祖父の近松伊看は豊臣秀頼に仕えて武功を立て、後に法眼に叙せられる名医となり、広島藩に仕えた。