Yoshida Itchō (original name Kōzō 耕三) was born in 1812.
From the age of 15, he studied shakuhachi under Umetsuki Shōda (正田梅月) then, at 18, with Hisamatsu Fūyō.
At the age of 26 he became a member of the Fuke-shū and began his studies Ichiken, the the chief abbot of Itsukuji temple. He later became an instructor at both Itsukuji and Suzuhoji temple.
After the disbanding of the Fuke-shū in 1871, he joined with Araki Kodō II in petitioning the government to allow the shakuhachi to be taught as a secular musical instrument. Yoshida was a key figure in the inclusion of the shakuhachi in the sankyoku repertoire.
He also excelled in writing and calligraphy, and left behind many memoirs, including "Michi no Ki" (1837) and "Itchō" (1838).
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