He was born in Tatebayashi, Gunma Prefecture, into a shizoku (i.e. former samurai) family, at the time of the abolition of the privileges of that rank.
•
The whole family moved to Tokyo in 1886, and Tayama attended the poetry classes of Matsuura Tatsuo (Hagitsubo, 1844-1909) before appealing to Kōyō Ozaki in 1891 for help in beginning a literary career; he soon fell out with Ozaki however, and it was Suiin Emi who helped Tayama establish himself as a travel writer.
Katai |