KIYOHARA Hitoshi

Artist – KIYOHARA Hitoshi (清原斉, きよはらひとし) was born on September 25th 1896 in Ryugasaki 龍ケ崎市), Ibaraki prefecture (茨城県). In the late 1940s he designed a prints series with subjects of children in a moderate comic-style manner. The prints were often published by Kato Junji or Tamikazawa. KIYOHARA signed most often with his given name Hitoshi ("斉", "ひとし") written in Hiragana, and used "Sei" (SaiKusaJin, 斉草人) as his art name, with "Sei" as a different reading of the Kanji for "Hitoshi".

He was a Japanese style painter then in the 1940s he designed a series of prints with subjects of children in a moderate comic style manner, many prints were published by Kato Junji and Tamikazawa Publishers.

In 1915 he became a student of Matsumoto Fuko in 1915. From 1923 he studied under Imamura Shiko and others. In 1935 he became a member of the "Akai Tori" ("赤い鳥") group in the same year he published in the poetry magazine "Tama" ("多磨"). Later on he founded the Sanninsha group ("三人社を").
He had been first selected for the 17th revived "Inten" ("院展") exhibition in 1930. In 1940 he became a member of the Japan Academy of Art ("日本美術院院"). He won the Grand Exhibition at the 39th revived Inten exhibition in 1954, and the Grand Exhibition at the 40th revived Inten exhibition in 1955, as well as the 41st revived Inten exhibition in 1956. In 1956 he also won the Grand Exhibition at the Japan Art Academy.

(1896-1956)