His given name was Ryozaburo. He attended Yoshihiko Ito’s Shobikan studio, which later merged with the Shogoin Institute of Western Painting, where he continued to study; he then studied under Chu Asai at the Kansai Art Institute. From 1908 to 1913 he was in France, studying under Renoir. In 1922 he took part in founding the Shunyokai. After leaving it he joined the Kokuga Sosaku Kyokai at the invitation of Bakusen Tsuchida, and in 1926 set up its Western painting section; in 1928 this became independent as the Kokugakai. In 1935 he became a member of the Imperial Art Academy, and in 1944 an Imperial Household Artist and a professor at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts. His work is marked by soft, brilliant colour and a bold touch, showing the influence of his teacher Renoir. Through Ikuma Arishima he also contributed writing on Renoir and the art of Paris to “Shirakaba”. In 1952 he resigned his professorship, served as an international judge at the Venice Biennale, and received the Order of Culture in the same year. In 1957 he resigned from the Japan Art Academy. In 1973 the French government made him a Commandeur. He died in 1986 at the age of ninety-seven.