Yamakawa Koji II studied under his father Yamakawa Koji I (1828-1882), who worked in a workshop in Kanazawa and on commissions for the Imperial household. Following his father's death, Koji II worked independently and starting at the Bankoku Gendai Soshoku Bijutsu Kogei Hakurankai [World's Contemporary Decorative Art and Craft Fair] in France in 1925, entered works into many domestic and international exhibitions, winning many awards.