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