Eizan Kikugawa (Japanese,1787-1867) "Geisha Reading a Letter" Original W oodblock Print Circa.1820-1835. Biography Kikukawa Eizan (菊川 英山, 1787 – July 17, 1867) was a designer of ukiyo-e style Japanese woodblock prints. He first studied with his father, Eiji, a minor painter of the Kanō school. He then studied with Suzuki Nanrei (1775–1844), an artist of the Shijō school. He is believed to have also studied with the ukiyo-e artist Totoya Hokkei (1790–1850). He produced numero woodblock prints of beautiful women in the 1830s, but then abandoned printmaking in favor of painting.