Samurai were many of the early exchange students, not directly because they were samurai, but because many samurai were literate and well-educated scholars.
Being well-educated and well-connected reflects their upper-class status, a socioeconomic status that encourages attributes leading to higher education and professional success with a high income.
He was a court professional, a literatus, well-educated painter who developed an incredibly detailed system of idiomatic brushstrokes which became important for later painters.
