In 1904, Kitahara moved to Tokyo and began submitting his poetry to various literary magazines. In 1906, he joined the "Shinshisha" (New Poetry Association) at the invitation of Yosano Tekkan, and he published poems in its magazine Myōjō (Bright Star) that brought him instant fame as a rising young poet, and served as an introduction to a wide circle of writers and poets. From these contacts, Kitahara formed his own literary group, the "Pan no kai" (The Society of Pan), which was innovative in including painters, musicians and actors as well as writers.