Kaigetsudō Ando

Ando lived in the Suwa-chō district of Asakusa in Edo (modern Tokyo) near Sensō-ji temple, and on a major road which led to the Yoshiwara north of the city.

Principally active from 1700–1714, some scholars have surmised that his early training may have been in ema, wooden votive tablets sold at Shinto shrines.

A distinctive element of his style is the sense of emptiness around his figures, an element which fits well with the medium of the ema; this theory is supported by the idea of his location on the main road, where a great number of pilgrims and travelers would have passed daily.

Some scholars dismiss this theory, but it is nevertheless evident that Ando was closely connected to the trends of popular culture, art, and literature at the time.

It has also been said that his women had an austerity and aloofness that placed them above pure representations of sexuality, the Edo period equivalent of "pin-ups".