Painter Hirayama dies

Traditional Japanese-style painter Ikuo Hirayama, one of the foremost artists in his field since World War Two, died of a cerebral infarction on Wednesday in Tokyo. He was 79.

Hirayama was born in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, western Japan. He was in Hiroshima at the age of 15 when the US atomic bomb hit the city in 1945.

In 1947, he enrolled in what later became the Tokyo University of the Arts.

His breakthrough came in 1959, with a Buddhist-inspired work he painted with hopes for peace, while struggling with the aftereffects of radiation. He soon established his trademark fantasy-like style, also inspired by Buddhism.
Hirayama made more than 100 trips to destinations on the Silk Road, in Central Asia, starting in the late 1960s. His visits inspired a series of works depicting scenes along the ancient trade route.

Hirayama also served as president of his alma mater, campaigned to preserve and repair ancient ruins along the Silk Road and in Cambodia, and headed the Japan-China Friendship Association. He was also a UNESCO goodwill ambassador.

He was recognized with a number of domestic and overseas awards, including Japan's Cultural Merit Award, which he received in 1998.