About Nishimuraya Yohachi
Lived 1762 – 1835 (aged 72–73). Nishimuraya Yohachi was a publisher.
Nishimuraya Yohachi (dates unknown) was one of the leading publishers of woodblock prints in late 18th-century Japan. He founded the Nishimuraya Yohachi publishing house, also known as Nishiyo (西与), which operated in Nihonbashi's Bakurochō Nichōme under the shop name Eijudō. The firm's exact dates are unclear, but many art historians date its activity to between .
According to Andreas Marks, Nishimuraya is "one of the most important publishers in the history of prints and may be the publisher with the biggest output over time," attributing his success to "engaging the best artists and providing a broad range of prints to satisfy the public's interest." One of the press' most significant products was Hokusai's famous Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, which appeared between and the first two volumes of his exquisite 100 Views of Mount Fuji ehon in 1834 and 1835. Nishimuraya Yohachi also published prints by Eishi, Kuniyasu, Toyokuni I and Kunisada.
Nishimuraya is immortalized in the 1787 print Eijudō Hibino at Seventy-one by Utagawa Toyokuni I.
He is known to have been a member of the Fuji-kō, an Edo period cult centred around Mount Fuji. Founded by an ascetic named Hasegawa Kakugyō (1541–1646), the cult venerated the mountain as a female deity, and encouraged its members to climb it. In doing so they would be reborn, "purified and... able to find happiness." The cult waned in the Meiji period and although it persists to this day it has been subsumed into Shintō sects. The publisher's association with the Fuji-kō gives clues not only to imagery in his portrait by Utagawa, but also to his eagerness to participate in the production of Hokusai's various works celebrating Mount Fuji.
Don’t just read it —
keep it.
Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.
- E-book
- Audio
- Video
Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free
Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Nishimuraya Yohachi's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Nishimuraya Yohachi?
publisher of Ukiyo-e (1762–1835)
When was Nishimuraya Yohachi born?
Nishimuraya Yohachi was born in 1762.
When did Nishimuraya Yohachi die?
Nishimuraya Yohachi died in 1835.
What was Nishimuraya Yohachi's occupation?
Nishimuraya Yohachi was a publisher.
What nationality was Nishimuraya Yohachi?
Nishimuraya Yohachi's recorded nationality: Tokugawa shogunate.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Nishimuraya Yohachi
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Nishimuraya Yohachi. https://biography.guide/nishimuraya-yohachi/
MLA: "Nishimuraya Yohachi." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/nishimuraya-yohachi/.
Chicago: "Nishimuraya Yohachi." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/nishimuraya-yohachi/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-23 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence
Page generated 2026-09-27 05:08 UTC