Seichi Kishi was the son of a samurai of the Matsue clan. He studied at Imperial University, where he was active as a rower. He graduated in 1889 and became a lawyer in 1893, receiving a juris doctor degree in 1910 and serving as President of the Tokyo Bar Association in 1915. In 1916 Kishi was named Vice-President of the Japanese Olympic Committee and he succeeded to President in 1921 upon the death of Jigoro Kano. Kishi served as chef de mission to the Japanese team at the 1924 Olympics. He was co-opted onto the IOC in June 1924 and served until his death in 1933. Upon his death his family donated money to the Japanese Amateur Sports Association, which were used to construct the Kishi Memorial Hall, which served as the headquarters of Japanese sport until 1964.