He studied at the Donisha, a private school founded by Keiu Nakamura.
In 1891, he joined the theater company of Otojiro Kawakami and made his debut with the stage name of Meiroku Fukui at the Bentenza Theater in Hyogo Prefecture. Later organizing his own company, he appeared at the Azumaza Theater in Asakusa, Tokyo. He specialized in historical plays, with Gakkai Yoda, a writer, as adviser. When he performed in Kobe in 1894, he was acclaimed by the entire Kansai. In 1902, he presented a series of plays, with Gekko Takayasu, as adviser.