Yokoi Kinkoku (1761 - 1832). Yokoi Kinkoku was a great classic Japanese painter, one of the most talented of his time. He was a priest, as well as a skilled master in martial arts, calligraphy and poetry. He was born and died in the city of Kasanui, which is now Kusatsu, central Japan, close to the famous Lake Biwa and Kyoto, the capital of the country at that time. It is worth remembering that, historically, Japanese culture and religiosity have always been intertwined, and therefore it is not surprising that many of the most consecrated of their artists were, at the same time, monks of Buddhism or Shinto, traditionally the two systems most common philosophical religions in Japan. Yokoi Kinkoku's life was hectic. At the age of nine, he became a monk of the Jodo Buddhist sect, and went to work at the Sokinji temple in Osaka. He left there at the age of eight, and went to Edo, now Tokyo, where he was admitted to the Zozoji Jodhite temple in Chiba, but was soon expelled for being seen frequenting the pleasure districts, former areas of prostitution in the Japanese cities. Thus, he returned to the Kyoto region after spending some time traveling to various places and resumes religious studies, being then in charge of administering the Gokunrakuji temple, north of the capital. This temple was on Mount Kinkoku, hence the name of the painter, who had a special affection for this mountain. Despite staying on Mount Kinkoku, Yokoi constantly traveled to Nagasaki, because of his religious work, and there he makes many of his best paintings and poems. He also went to Nagoya several times, more for a walk and a diversion. There, he maintained contact with groups of painters and poets who greatly influenced his work, including Cho Gessho and the acclaimed Yosa Buson. It is likely that he was a student of Yosa Buson, because his painting is very reminiscent of Buson. Today, Yokoi Kinkoku's work is recognized in Japan and worldwide as one of the most expressive arts of the Edo Period. Yokoi's art is one of fine sensitivity, almost always portraying nature, landscapes, forest animals. Mountains have always been a constant theme in his work. He even ventured into mountain climbing, and was always walking and contemplating the mountains of his native region.