A master of ukiyo-e and one of Japan's most celebrated artists, active during the late Edo period.
Born and raised in what is now Sumida Ward, Tokyo, he led an eccentric life and famously relocated more than ninety times.
After apprenticing at the age of nineteen under Katsukawa Shunsho, a leading master of kabuki actor prints, he remained a prolific and dedicated artist for some seventy years until his death at age ninety.
He devoted his life to capturing the entirety of the natural and human worlds, from landscapes, flora, and fauna to everyday human activities, and even the invisible currents of wind and water.
Refusing to be bound by convention, he eagerly studied Western techniques such as linear perspective and shading, incorporating them to forge his own dynamic and distinctive style.
His extraordinary draftsmanship and bold compositions crossed oceans to profoundly inspire artists such as Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet, playing a pivotal role in the rise of Japonisme across Europe.
His remarkable achievements continue to be revered across borders and generations, earning him global renown—including selection by Life magazine as one of the one hundred most important figures of the past millennium.
