text: Life as an author (尽用而二分狂言) was published in 1791 under the pen name ", Disciple of ". This first book had a didactic tone that  would carry through most of his works going forward. This choice in tone would benefit him as literature and the laws around it had changed in 1790 with the adoption of the Kansei Reforms.  was able to avoid the punishments levied on his contemporaries like ,  and his friend and patron, .  chose to stay silent and on any controversies in his writings. 's own humiliation deeply affected him. He request  ghostwrite for him as a deadline for two works approached. These two works,  and  were written by  and copied by  before being sent off for publishing. 1792 marked the first time "" appeared in a published work.
  In 1793  married , a widow and owner of a footwear shop, mainly for financial reasons.  gave  four children during their marriage: three daughters;  (1794-1854),  (1796-?) and  (1800-?), and one son,  (1798-1835).  helped with the shop until the death of his mother-in-law in 1795 when he acquired time to write more regularly. In 1796, he published his first   () and his works spread to  and , earning him nationwide acclaim. He had eleven other works published in 1797, setting a pace of about ten books per year until 1802. If he wrote a story he didn't enjoy, he would sign it ", disciple of " causing other aspiring authors to seek out this fictional disciple.
  In 1800  embarked on a walking tours and his experiences would play pivotal roles in both his life and writing. The first tour lasted two months and provided him with several historical locations that would appear in his works. During this trip he also fully resolved to restore his family position using his writing.