Kobayakawa kiyoshi biography

Kobayakawa Kiyoshi (–) was a prominent artist of the Shin Hanga movement, known for his elegant and modern bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women).

Floating World Gallery | Kiyoshi, Kobayakawa, 1897-1948

Here is a short dossier on his life, art, and legacy.

Eyes, Kobayakawa Kiyoshi. Source: Wikimedia Commonsꜛ (license: public domain)

Biography

Kobayakawa Kiyoshi (小早川 清) was born on December 11, , in Hakata, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Just like many other artists of his time, he grew up during a time of significant social and cultural transformation in Japan, as the country was moving rapidly toward modernization while still grappling with the preservation of its traditional culture.

This environment would later influence his work as an artist, particularly his focus on bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women), which became a defining feature of his career.

Kiyoshi showed an early interest in art and moved to Tokyo to pursue formal training. He studied under the guidance of renown