Nineteenth-century Japanese artists who made a art of lacquer into a medium for painting and design. Zeshin was born in Edo (now Tokyo) and learned lacquer making from Koma Kansai II from a young age, and painting under the Maruyama-Shijō style, which is a style that emphasizes observation of nature. The technical skills and painterly education came to define his art. The Edo period was a time of transformation, and the Meiji period was a time of great modernization, and Zeshin's career reflects this transformation in the art world. In addition to using lacquer as a decorative material, he tried out the colors, textures and surfaces of the lacquer and imitated materials like metal, wood and stone as well as lacquer painting on paper. Among his works are lacquerware, paintings, inrō, writing boxes, etc., revealing an unnatural gap between fine art and craft. Eventually, he was recognized when he was appointed Imperial Household Artist in 1890, a few months before his death in 1891.

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