Born in Tokyo. After graduating from the First Middle School of Tokyo, he entered the Kyoto High School of Arts and Crafts (now Kyoto Institute of Technology) in 1905, where he studied under Tadashi Asai. After that he moved to the U.S. with Katsuji Makino. From 1909 to 1920, he worked at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City as a technician in sketching and coloring for the production of marine animal models. Also studied at the National Academy of Design during the same period.

He participated in the exhibitions of the New York Japanese Art Association in 1917 and 1918. After returning to Japan in 1920, he taught at the Kyoto High School of Arts and Crafts.

Reference: Yukihiko Shimotori Posthumous Works Exhibition Executive Committee, Yukihiko Shimotori Posthumous Works Exhibition, (exhibition catalogue), Kyoto Prefectural Center for Arts and Culture (1983); “Yukihiko Shimotori: Nihon Bijutsu Nenkan Shiryo Shusha Shiryo” (Article on deceased persons in the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo: http://www.tobunken.go.jp/). materials/bukko/10132.html (accessed on December 31, 2023)