 In 1891 the family moved to Matsuzaka-cho in Shiba Ward of Tokyo.Minakami attended Keiō High School and played on the school's baseball club.While attending Keio University, he was inspired by the works of Kyōka Izumi and by a newly appointed professor, Kafū Nagai, who was also the founder of the literary magazine "Mita Bungaku," launched in 1910.