Yakushiji no mori (Forest at Yakushiji Temple)

Born in Hiroshima Prefecture, Hirayama graduated from the Tokyo Bijutsu Gako (Tokyo School of Fine Arts) in 1952 and then became a student of Maeda Seison (1885-1997). His interest in Buddhism has provided a rich source of subject matter, and Japanese temples are one of his most well-known themes. Hirayama is one of several Japanese artists elected to the French Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres and he has worked with UNESCO since the 1960s for the protection of cultural heritage sites in Afghanistan, Korea and Japan.