Born in Oita Prefecture in 1965. Graduated from Ryokuoka High School, attached to Oita Prefectural College of Art. He painted in oils until the age of eighteen and turned to mineral pigments at twenty. Painted on linen he dyes himself, his bijinga have a texture and a fragrance of their own.

First solo exhibition in 2005. He has since shown at ART FAIR TOKYO, ART TAIPEI and VOLTA BASEL 2019, among others. In 2023 the Oita City Art Museum held "BEAUTY: The Baikoan Collection × Yasunari Ikenaga".

His work is in demand abroad for stationery and book design. The collection "Kimi Omou Momoyo no Kofuku", published in 2014, remains a long-seller. For the March 2020 issue of "Geijutsu Shincho" his painting "Hana Meisai: Honami" was used on the cover, and the issue carried a long interview with him together with a conversation on bijinga with the illustrator Hisashi Eguchi. He has collaborated with AKB48, issued prints, colouring books and calendars, and supervised anthologies of bijinga.