Although Masumi Ishikawa took avidly to drawing at a young age, it didn’t occur to him that he could make art his career.
The turning point came when he saw a television special about ukiyo-e artist Utagawa Toyokuni VI, promptly got in touch and showed the master some of his work, becoming an apprentice soon after. Unfortunately, the 97-year-old Utagawa died just a few months later, leaving Ishikawa to learn the art of ukiyo-e on his own.