Koikawa Harumachi

• Born: 1744
• Died: 1789

Koikawa Harumachi was a samurai retainer and writer, generally regarded as the originator of the kibyôshi. His book Kinkin sensei eiga no yume, published in 1775, is often cited as the first work of that type, setting a model or precedent for an entire publishing sub-genre.

Koikawa's works attracted the negative attention of the authorities, however, and he received a summons in 1789 to appear before Matsudaira Sadanobu. Though official reports indicate he died of illness, it was widely rumored that he was ordered to commit suicide for his writings.

References

• Eiko Ikegami, Bonds of Civility, Cambridge University Press (2005), 310.