Uragami Gyokudō

In his lifetime, he was best known as a player of the Chinese seven-string zither, the guqin, but people came to appreciate his paintings after his death.

His art features strong brushwork, often in patterns of strokes that build up a strong rhythm, and they reflect his musical compositions in relying on a limited number of possibilities that build up to powerful compositions.

His Snow Sifted Through Frozen Clouds (紙本墨画凍雪篩雲図 shihon bokuga tōunshisetsuzu) is recognized as a National Treasure.

After working as a samurai for the Ikeda daimyō, he left his position for ideological reasons[1] to devote himself to travel and the arts.

Gyokudō was expert in calligraphy, featuring clerical and running scripts, and he was a fine poet in Chinese.