Chikanobu was possibly one of the finest printmakers of Meiji Japan. He was born into the Hashimoto Samurai family in the Echigo province. He began studies with the great ukiyo-e masters, Utagawa Kuniyoshi and Utagawa Toyokuni III (Kunisada), and later with Toyohara Kunichika, he became one of the most prominent among the latter's students. Throughout his career, Chikanobu also used names such as 'Chikanobu Hashimoto.' Some of the activities seen are kite flying, theatre, shell gathering on a beach, processions, and boating on a lake or river.