Reproduction of a print by Tsuchiya Koitsu, Kinryuzan temple in Asakusa.

Reproduction of a print by Tsuchiya Koitsu, Kinryuzan temple in Asakusa.

Tsuchiya Koitsu, born as "Koichi" in Hamamatsu, moved to Tokyo at the age of 15 to become an apprentice to a woodblock carver who worked for the artist Kobayashi Kiyochika. He joined Kiyochika's studio and spent 19 years there, learning drawing and composition. His first works depicted the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. After meeting the publisher Watanabe in 1931, he created his first Shin-Hanga print in 1932 and primarily produced landscapes influenced by Kiyochika and Kawase Hasui, known for their interpretation of light. Koitsu has no connection to the artist Ishiwata Koitsu.