Hirayama Ikuo Painting Work

Hirayama Ikuo first set foot on the Silk Road in 1968 during his trip to Afghanistan and Central Asia to explore the origins of Buddhism. For next 40 years, he never stopped traveling along the Silk Road.
It could be seen from Xuanzang’s journey that the Silk Road is not only the trade route between the East and the West but also the bridge connecting the exchanges between different cultures. On the unexploited roads, we see the opinions of every individual who bring cultural prosperity. Hirayama believes it is the spiritual accumulation of these anonymous people that creates civilization and history. To explore the traces of man in the desert and ruins, he did not stop painting the Silk Road. The greatest success is the “Great Silk Road” series, which depicts the caravans of camels traveling through the desert in the early morning or in the clear moonlight. This is not only what mesmerizes Hirayama but also symbolizes people’s communication that transcends national boundaries, nationality, and time and space.