Born in Tokyo in 1920. He left Keio University's Medical Faculty without graduating and worked in the postwar era as an executive at a pharmaceutical company while taking up haiku in earnest. He studied under Ishida Hakyo and Nomura Toshiro, later becoming a fellow of the journal Oki and building a distinctive place in postwar haiku with a style combining meticulous construction and intellectual wit. He served as president of the Haiku Poets Association from 1984 to 2000, greatly contributing to the popularization and internationalization of modern haiku. He left many haiku on Kamakura, including the famous 'Jufukuji — a fallen camellia in the coldest cold.' He died on May 26, 2003, at 83.

Combining the realism of a businessman with the intellectual wit of a poet, he also showed managerial talent in leading postwar haiku organizations. Gentle and sociable, he actively nurtured younger poets.

As president of the Haiku Poets Association, he worked to raise the social standing of haiku. He also participated in editing major anthologies of modern haiku and was a key figure in the development of postwar haiku. Visiting Jufukuji often, 'Jufukuji — a fallen camellia in the coldest cold' became one of his most enduring works.