While one of the seminal figures in the history of pre-war photography in Japan, Yagaki, like many of his contempories, is not widely known. His interest in photography began early as a teenager in Kyoto and continued as he pursued a degree in English literature at a prestigious private university. The Kyoto of the 1930s was a vibrant, developing city. Many photographers formed clubs to support the growing community of artists in the area and Yagaki was a member of several of these organizations and included in many of their sponsored exhibitions. Yagaki's work was truly Modernist in spirit absorbing influences from movements simultaneously occuring in Europe and the United States, while at the same time incorporating elements from traditional life in Kyoto. His images are careful studies of light, shadow and compositional clarity.

Yagaki's work is included in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art, New York and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

This is only known print of this image, which depicts a Fugu fish lantern typically found in Japan during the summertime.