He studied under Kawai Gyokudo and was particularly adept at bird and flower painting.

He was the second son of Count Hirata Tosuke, who was a Japanese statesman and Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan, active during the Meiji and Taishō periods of the Empire of Japan.

After studying under Kawai Gyokudo, he entered the Tokyo Academy of Fine Arts [jp] in 1901 and graduated in 1906.

His painting Yuku Aki was selected for recognition and his works were equally favoured at future BUNTEN exhibitions.

He was the chairman of the Dai-nippon Drawing and Handicraft Association, and a member of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Drawing Textbook Compilation committee.