He deepened his interest in painting while studying in hard circumstances, and at twenty-three was taken to Tokyo by Shinpu Yamanaka, a Japanese-style painter from his home province, and became a pupil of Koko Takahashi. In 1913 “About the Frost Month”, shown at the seventh Bunten, won the strong support of Taikan Yokoyama and took a second prize, effectively the highest award. He showed repeatedly and successfully at the Japan Art Institute, revived by Taikan, who was his teacher for life, and in 1924 became a member of the Institute. Overcoming a period of difficulty, he deepened a world of his own in a series of portraits, always seeking what was new rather than staying within tradition. His will to create did not weaken in his last years, and he left many fine works. Person of Cultural Merit, 1963; Order of Culture, 1968.