Onishi Keisai (1773-1829) was a painter of the late Edo period and a samurai of the Buzen Nakatsu domain. Born in Edo. His name is Makoto Yun and his characters are Shumei or his name is Hiroshi and his characters are Yi Sir. His stage names include Keisai, Yugei, Kochi Dojin, Ichinoto Yakei, and Rebirtho. He was also known as Mataichi. The Onishi family was a vassal of the Bizen Nakatsu domain for generations, and Keisai served the domain lord Masataka Okudaira as a vassal stationed in Edo.
He studied painting under Sung Shi-shi, Sung Shi-shan, and their grandson Sung Shigaoka, and later under Tani Buncho’s Shazanro. He trained in the methods of Ming and Qing painters such as Shen Nan-hin and others, and often painted flowers and plants, as well as flowers and birds.
Although it is not known whether Keisai was an official painter of the Nakatsu domain, he frequently went to Nakatsu by order of the domain and left many works. His disciples were Okamoto Shuki and Yajima Gunpo.
