Born in 1896 in Kobe, Japan, Shigeyoshi Hayashi had shown his talent in painting since he was young. He entered the Koyto Painting School in 1913 and pursued his study further at the Kansai Arts College in 1916. After graduation, he moved to Kyoto where he studied oil painting under the master Takeshiro Kanokogi and he was selected for the Japanese Nika Association exhibition in the following year. In 1925, Hayashi was awarded the Central Art Award from the sixth Central Art Exhibition and he traveled to France afterward. In the 17th Nika Association Exhibition, he showed over 20 paintings that were created during his stay in Europe. In 1930, Hayashi along with 10 other artists, including Zenzaburo Kojima, co-founded the Japanese Independent Art Association. They advocated avant-garde styles such as fauvism and surrealism. With the support of the Taiwanese Education Association, Hayashi’s work was exhibited on the second regional tour in Taiwan in 1933. Senior Taiwanese artist Lu Chi-Cheng was a student of Hayashi. In 1942, Hayashi became an important member of the National Japanese Painting Association.