江戸に生まれ、11歳ごろ歌川国芳に入門しました。幕末から明治へと時代が大きく変わる中で、歴史や物語の名場面を、映画のようなドラマチックな構図で描きます。一時は心の病に苦しみましたが、回復後に画号を「大蘇（たいそ）」と改めました。晩年の《月百姿》は、月にまつわる100の物語を描いた傑作です。
Yoshitoshi was born in Edo and became a pupil of Utagawa Kuniyoshi at about 11. As Japan changed from the Edo period to the Meiji era, he painted scenes from history and legend with dramatic, movie-like compositions. For a time he suffered from mental illness. After he recovered, he took the name Taiso, meaning 'great revival.' His late series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon shows 100 stories connected to the moon.
