Azechi was born 1902 in Futanamura (present day Mima Town, Ehime Prefecture). In 1920, he moved to Tokyo to study oil painting. At the age of 24, his prints using lead plates received praise by the sosaku hanga artist Un’ichi Hiratsuka (1895-1997), encouraging Azechi to fully dedicate himself to his artistic career. While under the guidance of Hiratsuka, Azechi also absorbed influences from the printmaker Koshiro Onchi (1891-1955). Initially, his prints took up the ever-changing character of Tokyo as a subject matter. Later, he focused on the mountains of his home area, Iyo.

At the age of 50, the character of the “mountain man” started to appears in Azechi’s works, which gained him further recognition. Since his first participation in the exhibitions of the sosaku hanga movement in 1927, Azechi has participated in the exhibitions of Kokugakai, the Japan Print Association, the Japanese International Art Exhibition, the Tokyo International Print Biennale and the Lugano International Print Biennale. He died in 1999.