He was born as a son of Kiyokane KURODA, a feudal retainer of Satsuma Domain and adopted to Viscount Kiyotsuna KURODA, who was Seiki's uncle and commonly called Kaemon in the Edo period.
薩摩藩士黒田清兼の子として生まれ、伯父の子爵黒田清綱（江戸時代の通称は嘉右衛門）の養子となる。