Brief Biography

 

Higashiyama Kaii was born on July 8th in Yokohama, to parents Kosuke and Higashiyama Kaii. He was given the name Shinkichi, but later changed this to Kaii. He lived from 3 years old to 18 in Kobe. 1926 when it graduated from Hyogo prefectural Hyogo high school, Higashiyama entered the Nihon-ga department of Tokyo School of Fine Arts (currently Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music), and graduated with commendation in 1931. In 1940 Higashiyama married Sumi Kawasaki. In July 1945, Higashiyama was drafted into the army and received anti-tank training. He was demobilized later that year. Higashiyama spent a lot of time travelling, mostly in Japan and China, but he also made several trips to Europe. In 1933, he studied German at the Berlin University and in 1962 he travelled around the Nordic countries.: