Artist –  IIJIMA Mitsutaka (Mitsuga, Mitsutaka, Mitsutami) (飯島 光峨, 1829 – 1908) is most often referred under his pseudonym IIJIMA Koga (いいじま こうが). 

IIJIMA Koga was early apprenticed to Kazuya OKI (Ichigami OKI, 沖一峨, 1797-1855) of the Edo oriented Kano School of painting. OKI was the official painter of the Tottori Clan and resided in Muramatsu-cho, Nihonbashi. IIJIMA Akira was given the name 'Mitsutaka' ('光峨'). OKI became popular in Edo at the time for his elaborate and gorgeous expressions. OKI's disciples from the Kaei period to the Ansei period included Hiroshi Matsumoto ('Kaedeko') and Yasutaka Kato ('Nagako'), along with Mitsutami. They were called the "Sangha of Ichigamon" ("Brotherhood of  the Three Jewels of OKI"), which alludes to OKI's Buddhist leanings. After OKI's death in 1855, Mitsutaka became familiar with literature without having a teacher. He traveled to the Tokai and Kinai areas, associating with Rofumi Kanagaki, Encho Sanyutei, Hazan Hattori, and other known artists of his time.

IIJIMA Koga became a well known Shijo style (Shijō-ha, 四条派) painter. The Shijo school is a major faction in the Japanese painting world, it's fame continuing until present times. It comprises Western-influenced objective realism, but achieved with traditional Japanese painting techniques. IIJIMA specialized in kacho-ga, and even worked for the Imperial Palace in Kyoto.

After the Meiji Restoration, he exhibited at the National Industrial Exhibition for the first time in 1877 and the second time in 1881. IIJIMA Koga exhibited for the first time in 1882 and the second time in 1884 at the National Painting Exhibition. In 1885 he exhibited his well known works "Cherry Blossoms'' (Ōka, 桜花) and "Autumn Grass'' (Akikusa, 秋草) at the first Kanga Exhibition, and also exhibited the traditions of Oriental painting at the first Japan Painting Association Painting Exhibition in 1896. There he exhibited the "Children's Twelve Months Diagram'' (Shōni jū ni-kagetsu-zu, 小児十二ヶ月図) in the first part of the exhibition, and received a second prize along with Kondo Kisen and others.

He was quite successful in the surimono business, prints that were privately commissioned works intended to be distributed to a small audience. A lot of those interesting prints survived.

 

Personal life - He, was born as IIJIMA Akira (飯島 は明) as the third son of IIJIMA Yoshishige (飯島 義重) of the Tayasu domain. In his childhood he was called Gosodo (後素堂). He was married,

 

Disciples - One of his students is Soka Togami (遠上素香), who founded the Tatsumi Gakai (巽画会) that became a successful base for young painters of the 'New Trend School'.