Kaii Higashiyama was a Japanese writer, painter, and muralist. He is known for producing Nihonga style paintings, which are modern, post-1900 paintings made using traditional Japanese methods. After graduating from a school of fine arts and working briefly as a research assistant, Higashiyama traveled to Berlin to study art history. He returned to Japan by 1940, married, and moved to Tokyo. He won the special prize at Japan’s largest art exhibition in 1947, which encouraged him to fully develop his personal painting style.

Most of Higashiyama’s work is inspired by the contemplation of nature. He traveled widely throughout Japan and China, but also visited Germany, Austria, and Scandinavia, painting the scenery of these countries as he went.