Treading Barley Plants

Seiju entered Angado Gajuku, a private art school run by Fuko Matsumoto. Together with Gyoshu Hayami, who was a fellow pupil there, he studied diligently and played a major role in the innovation of nihonga. He took part in the foundation of Sekiyokai, a group led by Shiko Imamura. In 1921, he became a member of Saiko Inten. In addition to limpid landscapes overflowing with poetic sentiment, he pursued a new modern nihonga blending realism and ornamentation.