Masaji Yoshida was born in Wakayama City in 1917. He studied with the famed Sosaku Hanga artists Onchi and Hiratsuka. He fought in WWII and was wounded in action and spent time as a POW. After the war, he studied art at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts. He died in 1971 at the age of 54. His works can be found in the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC and the Museum of Modern Art, NY to name but a few.