text: (), a.k.a.  (, 4 July 1767 – 1 December 1848), was a Japanese novelist of the Edo period. Born  (), he wrote under the pen name  (). Later in life he took the pen name  (). Modern scholarship generally refers to him as , or just as n. He is regarded as one of, if not the, leading author of early 19th century Japanese literature. He was the third surviving son of a  family of low rank. After numerous deaths in his family, he relinquished his  status, married a merchant's widow, and became an  townsperson. He was able to support his family with his prolific writing of , primarily didactic historical romances, though he always wanted to restore his family to the  social class. Some of his best known works are  (The Chronicles of the Eight Dog Heroes of the Satomi Clan of Nansō) consisting of 106 books and  (Strange Tales of the Crescent Moon).  published more than 200 works in his life, including literary critiques, diaries, and historical novels.
  Life and career
  Family and early life
  Born in  (present-day Tokyo) on 4 July 1767,  was the fifth son of  and . Two of his elder brothers died in infancy.