He was born in Echizen in the midst of a samurai family. At fourteen, he moved to Kyoto to serve several families of the court, which allowed him to participate in the cultural life of the city and discover the world of theater. At twenty years despite family opposition, began writing screenplays. Before thirty, had already produced more than fifteen books, among which he emphasized in 1683, "The Legacy of the rope." Chikamatsu's life when he began to write for the most famous singer of his time: Takemoto Gidayu. The collaboration between the two was extremely fruitful and successful: more than 100 works from historical dramas and bourgeois, among which its own merits the three pieces selected for this anthology.