Kawatake Mokuami was a playwright of Kabuki and Kyogen during the late Edo period and Meiji era. Born Yoshimura Yoshisaburo (吉村芳三郎) in Nihonbashi, Edo, Japan, he used the pen name Sosui (其水) and was also known by the alternate name Furukawa Mokuami (古河黙阿弥)

He was born the second son of Yoshimura Kanbei, a wealthy merchant in Edo's Nihonbashi district. However, from a young age, he immersed himself in the creation of novels, play scripts, haiku, and kyoka poetry. His indulgent lifestyle led to his disinheritance at the age of 14. He began working as an assistant in a lending library to support himself, but he spent his days absorbed in reading from morning till night, neglecting his duties. Yet, this would eventually become his foundation for the future.

Eventually, under the pseudonym Hoho (芳芳), he began to distinguish himself in kyoka poetry, haiku, and dance. In 1835, he finally quit his job and, through the introduction of Omon, a dance master in Shibutagawamachi, he became a disciple of the fifth generation of Nanboku Tsuruya, changing his name to Katsu Genzo (勝諺蔵). In 1841, he took the name Shiba Shinsuke (芝晋輔) and in 1843, he succeeded to the name Kawatake Shinshichi II (二代目河竹新七), becoming an established playwright.

He passed away at his residence in Honjo Futabacho due to a cerebral hemorrhage.

(Source: Japanese = Wikipedia || Translation = kisskh) Edit Biography