Early Life and Education Birth and Family: Ishii Hakutei was born Mankichi Ishii on March 28, 1882, in Tokyo, Japan. He came from an artistic family; his father was the nihonga artist Ishii Teiko. Early Training: Hakutei initially studied traditional Japanese painting (nihonga) under his father’s guidance. He later transitioned to yōga – Western-style painting – studying with Asai Chū and Nakamura Fusetsu. Formal Studies & Departure: He enrolled at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, learning from prominent artists like Kuroda Seiki and Fujishima Takeji. However, he left after only one year o…