Born in Aichi Prefecture; his given name was Yoshisaburo, and he also used the name Guan. He studied under Gyokusen Mochizuki and Bairei Kono in Kyoto, and under Gaho Hashimoto in Tokyo. Gyokudo expressed people and nature plainly and with much poetry, and went on painting the Japanese heart. With Taikan Yokoyama and Seiho Takeuchi he is counted one of the three great masters of Japanese painting. He died in Ome, Tokyo; the Gyokudo Art Museum stands at Mitake in Ome, where he spent his last days. Member of the Imperial Art Academy; recipient of the Order of Culture; Person of Cultural Merit.