He graduated from Denshin Syugi Gakko of the Ministry of Communications in 1884. He made his literary debut in 1889 when he published Tsuyu Dandan. With his short novel Gojunoto (five-storied pagoda), he made a place for himself in literary circles along with Ozaki Koyo in what was known as the “Ko-Ro period". He gradually moved away from writing novels and wrote biographies, criticism and historical studies of great quality thanks to his high level of education in Chinese history and Chinese thought. Awarded the first Order of Culture in 1937. The novelist Koda Aya is his second daughter.