Born in 1868 in Mito, Hitachi Province (present-day Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture). In 1889, he enrolled as a first-year student at the Tokyo Fine Arts School, studying under Tenshin Okakura. In 1898, he participated in the founding of the Japan Art Institute alongside Okakura. Throughout the Meiji, Taishō, and Shōwa eras, he dedicated himself to creating a new form of Japanese painting, bringing innovation to modern Nihonga. In 1937, he was awarded the Order of Culture. He passed away in 1958.