Makoto Ouchi was born in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, and was an active member of the Independent Artist's Association. Many of his works incorporate ukiyo-e themes and designs. His first solo show was held at the Japan Club in New York in 1958. He later won the Yamamoto Kanae Prize from the Japan Print Association in 1968. His contemporary Japanese etchings can be found in the Museum of Modern Art New York, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Library of Congress, to name a few.