Asai Chû was a very influential painter in the occidental style (Yô-ga). He studied with Antonio Fontanesi and he was a founding member of the Meiji Bijutsukai in 1888. From 1899-1902 he studied in Paris, where he absorbed modern European art. In 1902 he moved to Kyôto, where he taught at the Kyôto City School of Fine Arts and Crafts. He taught among others Ishii Hakutei, Umehara Ryuzaburô and Yasui Shôtarô. He contributed many illustrations to satirical magazines.
