Print artist and intellectual. Also often known as Kenjiro, Kanpo was born in Kyoto, where he lived all his life. He studied native-style painting at the Kyoto City Specialist School of Painting from 1914 to 1918 (1914-20 according to Stephens) and later with Takeuchi Seiho (1864-1944). As a young man he was deeply interested in 'Ukiyo-e' prints and the Kabuki theatre, and began to design small printed actor portraits about 1916, moving on to larger subjects with mica grounds in 1918. He became adviser on design to the Shochiku Kabuki Company on his graduation, and eventually a writer on 'Ukiyo-e', traditional music, history of costume, the theatre and old Kyoto. He was commissioned by the Kyoto publisher Sato Shotaro to produce designs of Kabuki actors for prints, which were published around 1923-4. He designed a few other prints, especially townscapes of Kyoto, also in the 1920s. In 1925 he held a joint exhibition with Miki Suizan (q.v.). After this he did no prints but became increasingly well known as author, collector, antiquarian and connoisseur of the theatre, producing paintings only on commission. His publications included 'Nihon fuzoku-shi' ('History of Japanese Folk Customs') and 'Obi no hensen-shi' ('History of Changes in Sash Design'). His collection of paintings is now divided between Nara Prefectural Museum and the Kyoto City Archives.
Ten woodblock prints by Yoshikawa Kanpo were shown at the important museum exhibition of modern Japanese prints in Toleda, U.S.A., in 1930.
His actor and maiko prints are among the finest shin hanga prints in this genre and can keep up with woodblock prints by Natori Shunsen. They are rather rare in today's market and coveted by collectors.
