He was born into a small landowning family in 1907 in Hiroshima, and given the name Nichiro Ishimura, which he later changed to Ai-Mitsu when he moved to Tokyo to pursue his career as an artist.
He was born into a small landowning family in 1907 in Hiroshima and took on the name Nichiro Ishimura before changing it to Ai-Mitsu when he moved to Tokyo for his artistic pursuits.