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Kobayashi Kiyochika

Kiyochika Kobayashi (Kiyochika Kobayashi, September 10, 1847 -1915 November 28) is a Japanese samurai (bakushin) and ukiyo-e artist.

Born as a child of the Bakushin at the Edo Honjo. The youngest of nine siblings, his childhood name is Katsunosuke. In 1862 (2nd year of Bunkyu), his father died at the age of 15, so Katsunosuke took the genpuku, named Kiyochika, and succeeded the family.

In 1865 (2nd year of Genji, 1st year of Keio), he accompanied Tokugawa Iemochi Raku (second Choshu expedition) and stayed in Osaka as it was. Participated in the Battle of Toba-Fushimi in January 1868 (Keio 4).

After the disappearance of the shogunate, he went down to Shizuoka following Yoshinobu Tokugawa and others. From December 1870 (Meiji 3) to April 1971 (4th year of the same year), Kiyochika was from the descendants of his cohabitants in Washizu Village (currently Washizu, Kosai City), where he became an early bird. There is a testimony that "I was drawing pictures in my free time."

Returned to Tokyo in 1874 (Meiji 7) to earn a living.

After returning to Tokyo, he aspired to be a painter, and is said to have had a seat painting session with Kawanabe Kyosai and Shibata Zeshin (improvising calligraphic works in front of his supporters). There is an anecdote that Charles Wirgman learned Western painting, but in the 2010s, it was taken negatively, and there are several theories that there was no clear teacher.

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