Kawanabe Kyôsai, also referred to as Kawanabe Gyôsai, was a child-pupil of Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861). He continued his study with various painters, and then established himself as an independent painter in 1858. He was a very versatile and highly eccentric an individualistic artist. His total oeuvre is quite large, consisting of paintings, ehon and woodblock prints. He is also known to have taught the British architect Josiah Conder (1852-1920), who is otherwise known as the father of Meiji architecture. Conder was given the name Kyoei by Kyôsai, the second character referring to his English descent. Kyôsai died relatively young, supposedly from an overindulgence in sake.
