Tadashige Nishida was born on Amami Oshima and studied at Chiba University. In the 1960s he went to Spain and then to the United States to study as a post-graduate. His work concentrates on depictions of cats, though he also has produced a number of studies of trees and Mount Fuji. His style is rooted in traditional Japanese woodblock printing techniques, but reflects the influence of the Western styles and compositional techniques that he was exposed to during his time in Europe and the United States.