Born 1913 in Kofu (Yamanashi Prefecture), Hagiwara enrolled in Tokyo School of the Arts (now Tokyo University of the Arts) to study under Gunzo Minami at the Department of Painting. After his graduation in 1938, he started to work for Takamizawa, a publishing company specializing in woodblock printing. Hagiwara’s first solo exhibition was held in 1951 at Shiseido Gallery in Ginza, featuring his oil paintings. In 1953, while being treated for tuberculosis, he started to produce woodcut prints, which he presented at Yoseido Gallery in 1956.

Hagiwara went on to participate in the 2nd International Biennial Exhibition of Prints in Tokyo in 1960, which won him the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Modern Art’s Award. He furthered his international reputation by winning the Grand Prix of the 7th Lugano International Print Biennial in 1962 and the 2nd International Print Biennial in Czechoslovakia in 1967, respectively. In 1983, Hagiwara was awarded the Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon. He died 2007, aged 94.