Oka Onitaro (岡鬼太郎)
Onitaro OKA (September 3, 1872 - October 29, 1943) was a Kabuki playwright, dramatic critic, and writer.
He was born in Tokyo. His real name was Yoshitaro. He called himself Kigin. He went to Hibiya High School, Tokyo, and graduated from Keio Gijuku. He was taught by Yukichi FUKUZAWA, and in 1893 he joined Jiji Shinpo, the newspaper company which was launched by FUKUZAWA. In 1895, he got a job from Hochi Shinbun and wrote severe reviews on Kabuki play with the pen name of Onitaro. He also wrote Karyu (world of geisha) novels and plays, as he was an intimate friend of Kido OKAMOTO. In 1908, he resigned the job of reporter for Hochi Shinbun, and joined the innovative drama movement started by Sadanji ICHIKAWA (the second). He wrote "Imayo Satsuma Uta," his best work, in 1912 when he was in Shochiku and it is still preformed.
Shikanosuke OKA, an oil painter, was his biological child.