Koda Shunko (1897 – 1976) was born in Tokushima Prefecture. His real name is Masaru, and he studied under Shunkyo Yamamoto at the age of 22. He graduated from Kyoto Municipal School of Painting (now Kyoto City University of Arts) at age of 37. He was devoted to thorough sketching. Since the early Showa era, he has been active in the Teiten (Imperial Academy of Fine arts Exhibition) and Shinbun Exhibition (Ministry of Education’s Art Exhibition), and his painstaking paintings of military chickens, geese and other birds have been highly regarded. He had his own art room in Kyoto. In his later years, he explored various techniques of Japanese painting, such as experimenting with bold expressions using thick layers of paint.

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Imao Keinen (1845-1924) was born in Kyoto. He studied under ukiyoe artists Umekawa Tokyo and Suzuki Hyakunen. He became a commissioed professor at the Kyoto Prefectural School of Painting in 1888. He won and was awarded many prizes in domestic and international expositions for his outstanding talent in flower and bird painting. He was a major figure in Kyoto art world, inheriting the tradition of the Shijo School. He devoted himself to the training of future generations.

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