Onitsura Kamishima

Background

Onitsura Kamishima was born in Itami (Hyogo Prefecture).

Career

Onitsura Kamishima was once a rich and prosperous sake brewer and a purveyor to the Konoe family. On account of a generous heart he soon lost everything and had to seek service. As such, Onitsura Kamishima worked in turn for the Lords of Yanagawa, Chikuzen, Koriyama, Yamato and Ono, Echizen. After several years of such service he resigned to devote his entire time to the study of haiku poetry, for which he had shown a great talent. For about 13 years thereafter he stayed at Kyoto and wrote poem after poem based on the Som Nishiyama style.

Achievements

• Shigemasa Suzuki wrote Kamishima's biography.