The artist, Hashimoto Gaho, was born in Edo (present-day
Tokyo) in 1835. His father, who was also a painter, died when Hashimoto was 13.
In 1882, Hashimoto's work at an exhibition organized by the Meiji government
received recognition from Okakura Tenshin and Ernest Francisco Fenollosa. Later,
when the Tokyo School of Arts was founded, Hashimoto was appointed professor of
Japanese painting there. Hashimoto pioneered a new style of Japanese painting,
which incorporated elements of Western painting into traditional painting
techniques, and became a major figure in Japanese painting circles during the
Meiji Period (1868-1912). He died in 1908
