Yashima Gakutei

Yashima Gakutei was a Japanese artist and poet who was a pupil of both Totoya Hokkei and Hokusai. Gakutei is best known for his kyōka poetry and surimono works.

Gakutei was born in Osaka around 1786, though his exact year of birth is somewhat unclear. He was the illegitimate son of the samurai known as Hirata who served under the Tokugawa shogunate. Gakutei's mother later married into the Yashima clan, explaining the artist's name. For some time, he worked in Osaka, focusing chiefly on privately commissioned woodblock prints called surimono in addition to book illustrations. Most of what is known about Gakutei has been surmised from the subjects and context of his work.

Text courtesy of Wikipedia, 2023