 In 1901, through the introduction of Ozaki Kōyō, Maeda enrolled at the art school headed by Kajita Hanko, from whom he received the name "Seison" in 1902.He met and befriended fellow student, Kobayashi Kokei, whose work influenced many of Maeda's early paintings.Maeda was a member of the "Kojikai" artistic group from 1907, and of the Japan Fine Arts Academy ("Teikoku Bijitsuin") from 1914.