Masuo Ikeda was an engraver, printer and writer, Japanese but born in Mukden, China (now known as Shenyang) in 1934. After the Second World War he was repatriated with his parents to Nagano prefecture, where he attended the local school of art. Upon graduation, he moved to Tokyo and earned a living by sketching portraits on the streets of Kanda (the area of Tokyo famous for its book shops, both old and new).

After winning a Mombusho (Ministry of Education) Prize, he switched from oils to copperplate, also experimenting with traditional woodblock (ukiyoo) and silkscreen (serigraphy) printing, initially on the premise that he could sell many prints, instead of only one painting. He spent time in New York studying with Stanley Hayter, and in London, learning photo-etching techniques with Birgit Skiold on Charlotte Street. In the `60s his distinctive afro became a familiar sight in Western art circles, and throughout the decade he was awarded prizes both at home in Japan and abroad. In 1965 Ikeda was the first Japanese artist to have a one-man show at the New York Museum of Modern Art.

In 1976 Ikeda published his first work of fiction, Eige-kai ni sasaguru ("Homage to the Aegean") which won the Akutagawa Prize. He made his own soft porn film of the book, which features the Italian star La Cicciolina. Japanese law forbids any show of pubic hair, so he had to scratch out by hand all the offending fannies before the film could be released. He wrote two more novels ("From My Window I have a View of Rome" and “Manhattan Rhapsody”) and then began to produce abstract pottery. His last venture was the creation of the Masuo Ikeda Art Museum, back in Nagano. He died in 1997. Whenever he was asked what his profession was, he would say, "My profession is Masuo Ikeda."