In 1874, his relationship with Takeshiro MATSUURA took him to Hokkaido, where he created his masterpiece, Kyu-Ezo Fuzoku-zu, a painting depicting customs of the old Ezo region and expressing the life of the Ainu people.
明治７年(1874年)には、松浦武四郎との交流から北海道を旅し、アイヌの風俗を題材にした代表作「旧蝦夷風俗図」を描いている。