Background
He was born in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, as the fourth son of a Japanese restaurant owner.
安田 靫彦
He was born in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, as the fourth son of a Japanese restaurant owner.
He initially studied Tosa school painting at the Tōkyō Bijutsu Gakkō (the predecessor to the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music), under Kobori Tomoto.
His real name was Yasuda Shinzaburō. While in school, his talent was recognized by Okakura Kakuzō who sent him to Nara to study classical paintings in the Yamato-e style. From 1914, Yasuda assisted Yokoyama Taikan in re-establishing the Japan Fine Arts Academy (Nihon Bijutsuin).
From 1944 to 1951, he taught as a professor at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music.
In the post-war period, he assisted Maeda Seison on restoration and preservation work on the murals of Hōryū-ji. Yasuda was known primarily for his paintings on historical themes, and occasionally for portraiture or bird-and-flower paintings.
One of his principal disciples was noted Nihonga painter Ogura Yuki.
In 1948, he was awarded the Order of Culture by the Japanese government, and was appointed a member of the Japan Art Academy.