Toshi was part of the second generation of the Yoshida family to work in the woodblock medium. Both his father, Hiroshi Yoshida, and mother, Fujio Yoshida, were artists and printmakers. Toshi first studied the techniques of woodblock printing in his father's studio, and the subject matter of his earlier prints is reminiscent of Hiroshi's work. However, there were personality and stylistic differences between Toshi and his father, and this comes through in their artwork. Compared to the misty grandeur of Hiroshi's perfectly composed prints, Toshi's early landscapes are more down-to-earth and straightforward. Toshi was masterful at depicting the charm of ordinary Japanese life, particularly in prints like Supper Waggon, Urayasu, and Matsumoto, to name just a few. Occasionally he depicted famous landmarks, but his prints tend to focus on the human element rather than the monumental. |