Ogata Gekkō was born in 1859 in Tokyo. He became an orphan and he was adopted by a family with the name Ogata. Later he got the family name Chin, which formed with his other name the poetic meaning sink into the moonlit lake. His characteristic style is almost pictorial due to his passion for painting and drawing. He never underwent the traditional apprenticeship in any of the printmaking schools. His favorites subjects are natural or everyday life scenes. He produced a considerable number of war prints during and after the Sino-Japanese war (1894 - 1895).