At first he ran a kimono shop, but in 1839, he joined a Kabuki theater company called Kawarazaki-za with a pen name Kichihei SHIBORI (絞吉平), and started creative activities, writing Kabuki plays.
はじめ呉服屋を営んでいたが、天保10年(1839)絞吉平の名で河原崎座に入り、歌舞伎狂言の創作活動を始める。