丹波（今の京都府亀岡市）の農家に生まれ、京都に出ました。おもちゃ屋で働き、西洋の遠近法を使った「眼鏡絵」を描いた経験もあります。実物をよく見て写す「写生」を大切にし、本物そっくりで、しかも上品な絵で京都の人気を集め、「円山派」を開きました。ころころした子犬の絵や、国宝《雪松図屏風》が有名です。
Ōkyo was born into a farming family in Tanba (now Kameoka, Kyoto) and moved to the city of Kyoto. He worked at a toy shop, where he made megane-e, pictures in Western perspective for a special viewing box. He valued shasei, drawing carefully from real life. His lifelike yet elegant pictures made him the most popular painter in Kyoto, and he founded the Maruyama school. He is famous for round, fluffy puppies and the National Treasure Pine Trees in Snow screens.
