Satarō Fukiage was born on February 1, 1889, in Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. His family faced difficulties, and he was forced to work from a very young age. He started working at the age of eight, changing jobs frequently. His early experiences included a controversial relationship at just 11 years old with a girl who was around 17. This situation led to him losing his job.

By the time he was 12, Fukiage was arrested for theft. He spent two months in jail, during which he learned kana and basic math. After his release, he was arrested again for theft and learned classical Chinese while serving time in jail for this second offense.

At the age of 17, he had a sexual encounter with a 54-year-old woman. He also began to engage in troubling behaviors, which included abusing her 11-year-old daughter and other girls in their community.

On September 24, 1906, Satarō Fukiage committed his first murder by raping and killing an 11-year-old girl at Kinkaku-ji, who was known to him. He was considered 18 years old in Japan at that time, but 17 by Western age standards. Following this crime, he went to prison, where he studied the works of various philosophers including Confucius and Aristotle. He was released in 1922 but soon lost his job because of his criminal history.

In April 1923, he was arrested again for molesting a four-year-old girl but was released. From June 1923 to April 1924, he raped and murdered six girls between the ages of 11 and 16. He was arrested on July 28, 1924. Initially, he confessed to 13 murders but later recanted this confession, claiming he only killed six girls. He argued that the police had led him into the confession.

During his time in prison, he wrote a book titled "Shaba," which translates to "The Street." He was diagnosed with a series of mental health issues throughout his incarceration. On May 17, 1925, he was sentenced to death for his crimes. His death sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court of Japan on July 2, 1926.

Satarō Fukiage was executed by hanging on September 28, 1926.