Hayashi Tadamasa was a well-known Japanese art dealer of the Meiji period. In 1878, he moved to Paris and started his career as a Japanese art dealer. He introduced traditional Japanese art to Europe and in particular woodblock prints on which he usually placed his seal. Tadamasa also contributed to academic research, publishing books on Japanese art, and also assisted Japanese art departments of various museums in the West. He was appointed a general commissioner of the Japanese art section at the World 's Fair in Paris. He sometimes worked together with Louis Gonse and Edmond de Goncourt, and was a friend of many Impressionists such as Claude Monet and Edgar Degas whose artistic styles were said to be inspired by Japanese prints.