He was born into a samurai family in the service of the Tokugawa shogunate, and during his youth associated with several prominent scholars.
[1] He instead moved to the university's editing and publishing department and devoted his energy to the compilation of the linguistic work Goi (語彙).
[1] He produced a large volume of writings, but did not publish any of it during his life, and requested that his works be burned after his death.
[1] With some notable exceptions including Kyōsai Zōwa (況斎雑話) and Naniwa-e (難波江), few of his surviving works have been put into print.
[1] His given name at birth was Takashi (孝),[1] which he changed to Yasutaka (保孝) when he took over the Okamoto clan in his late teens.