Kamei Tôbei was born in Wakayama prefecture. He studied at the Kyoto City Specialist School of Painting, and was one of the founding members of the Kyoto Sôsaku-Hanga Kyôkai in 1929. He was a major force in the prewar Kyoto Sôsaku Hanga print scene, although he also made designs for Uchida. At the same time he made a name for himself as a painter.
After the war he associated with Tokuriki Tomikichirô and Kotozuka Eiichi in Kôrokusha, a branch of Matsukyô, Tokuriki's publishing company which subsidized their self-carved prints. After WWII he continued working for Uchida.
