[1] He was younger half-brother to Matsumura Goshun,[2][3][4] founder of the Shijō school, and received his first art lessons from him.

He exhibited his works as early as 1796, under the auspices of Minagawa Kein [ja], a showing which included calligraphy.

In 1829, he painted a group of birds on the ceiling inside of the "Naginata-Hoko" (長刀鉾; roughly, Long Sword Halberd), one of the floats for the Gion Matsuri (festival), which is still in use today.

He also served as Chief Priest at the Myōhō-in [ja], a Tendai temple in Kyōto which was usually assigned to an Imperial prince.

His best known works are a set of fusumas (sliding doors) in Myōhō–ji, a Nichiren temple, which are called Shiki kōsaku-zu (四季耕作図; roughly, "Cultivation in the Four Seasons").