Takahashi Katsutaro, also known as Takahashi (Hiroaki) Shotei (1871–1945), was a pioneering shin-hanga artist born in Tokyo. After apprenticing under nihonga painter Matsumoto Fuko from ages nine to sixteen, he worked for the Imperial Household's Department of Foreign Affairs, where he designed foreign medals, courtier clothing, and ceremonial objects. He also created illustrations for magazines and scientific journals and founded the Japan Youth Painting Society in 1891. In 1907, Takahashi began a prolific collaboration with publisher Watanabe Shozaburo, producing modest, long-narrow hanshita-e prints that focused on solitary figures and expansive landscapes. He created over 500 designs, and even after the Great Kanto Earthquake destroyed all existing woodblocks, he produced another 250 prints, firmly establishing the foundation of the shin-hanga movement. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, he transitioned to creating nude prints and other subject matter for Fusui Gabo until his death.