Gentarō Koshi (1887–1978) was a painter born in Tokyo who enjoyed a long and distinguished career in the Western-style art world. He studied at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts and, focusing primarily on landscapes, depicted snow-capped mountains, harbours and townscapes with vigorous brushstrokes. He is known for a style that, rather than depicting subjects in minute detail, captures colour and form on a grand scale, translating the light and atmosphere of a place into rich, textured oil paintings.

In his works depicting snowy landscapes and mountains, there is a palpable tension even within the tranquillity of nature. The distinct interplay of whites, blues and browns seems to convey not only the cold but even the wind itself. The appeal of his work lies in his attempt to depict not merely the surface of the landscape, but the very temperature and weight inherent in the place itself.