In 1880, he went to France and became Léon Bonnat's pupil. In 1882, his work was accepted for the Salon, a famous exhibition. He is the first Japanese painter who was accepted for the Salon. In 1889, he returned to Japan via the United States of America and participated in the establishment of the Meiji Art Society [ja]. He participated in the First Sino-Japanese War. In 1915, he died in his own home in Yokohama.