Born in Kyoto in 1908, Kawai Kenji graduated at the Kyoto City Specialist School of Painting in 1928. He was a student of Nishimura Goun. For Unsôdô he produced two print series after WWII: Twelve Views of Kyoto (Kyoto jûni fûkei) and Lake Biwa in four seasons (Shiki ûmi ko).