SETODA, Hiroshima Pref. -- A museum dedicated to one of Japan's most prominent artists, Ikuo Hirayama, traces the artistic growth of the famous native and his travels throughout the world.
The town of Setoda, located on Ikuchishima island, was the birthplace and boyhood home of Hirayama. The museum opened in spring 1997 and includes thousands of drawings, sketches and art objects, many of which he made as an elementary school student.
Hirayama first gained international recognition in the early 1960s after graduating from what was then the Tokyo Art School. A work called "Bukkyo Denrai" ("Transmission of Buddhism") traces the path taken by seventh-century Chinese monk Xuan Zang, who traveled the ancient Silk Road bringing sutras to Japan. It was the first of many paintings with Buddhist themes.