Born in Kagoshima, the son of a retainer of the Kagoshima domain, and adopted as heir by his uncle Kiyotsuna Kuroda. While studying law in Paris he came to know Hosui Yamamoto and others and turned to Western painting, studying under Raphaël Collin. After returning to Japan he introduced the plein-air manner, founded the Tenshin Dojo studio with Keiichiro Kume, and formed the Hakubakai with Kume, Takeji Fujishima and others, becoming the central figure in the renewal of Meiji Western painting. First professor of the Western painting course at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts; Imperial Household Artist; president of the National Fine Arts Association; president of the Imperial Art Academy; member of the House of Peers. After his death, in accordance with his wishes, the Kuroda Memorial Hall (now the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties) was established, and the study of Eastern and Western art carried forward there.