To sit for his portrait may have made Hosokawa Shigekata (1720–1785) impatient. Noted for his energy and industry, he would probably have preferred to be out studying or painting the insects, marine animals, or botanical subjects that fascinated him.

Shigekata is remembered as a visionary social reformer. When he became lord of Higo in 1747, the domain was deeply in debt; the Osaka bankers refused to lend any more money—unsurprisingly, as no concrete policy of repaying loans was in place at the time. In addition to stabilizing Higo’s economy, he defied convention by building a school for samurai and commoners alike. He also built a teaching hospital—the ancestor of today’s Kumamoto Medical University—that served commoners as well as samurai.

Shigekata created Japan’s first modern penal system. Rather than being punished by death or exile, as in earlier practice, convicted criminals were imprisoned. They learned skills while serving their time, and the money they earned in prison was invested and returned to them upon their release.