Hirai Baisen was a Kyoto-based Nihonga artist who graduated from the Kyoto Municipal School of Fine Arts and Crafts. He was a regular exhibitor with the Bunten from 1907 to 1931. He was known to have experimented with numerous styles throughout his checkered career.

Following World War II, Baisen increasingly withdrew from the public eye. After this, he preferred to paint small scale works which he continued until the end of his life.

Baisen's works are held by the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.