Itsukushima Shrine, an Embodiment of Japanese Elegance

　Gracefully displayed on the wall of the staircase leading to the second floor, directly in front of the entrance of the RIHGA Royal Hotel Hiroshima, is the stunning artwork by Hirayama Ikuo titled “Itsukushima in the Sunlight.”

　The golden sky, the elegant rows of vermilion lacquered pillars, the ultramarine high tide, and the greenish-blue of the pine trees create a breathtaking symphony of beauty. The title evokes an image of a flame dancing, radiating brightly, while the corridor on the water remains devoid of any presence, enveloped in a serene and tranquil atmosphere.

　Itsukushima Shrine boasts an extensive collection of Japan’s national treasures, including the esteemed “Heike Nokyo,” and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. The building depicted in the painting is the Marodo Shrine, dedicated to the guest deity, connected to the main shrine by a corridor. The unique architectural features of the eaves of the two-tiered Haraiden (purification hall) can be observed, as can the five-story pagoda built in 1407 in the background.

　The artist, Hirayama Ikuo (1930-2009), was born in Ikuchijima, Hiroshima Prefecture. He studied at the Tokyo Fine Arts School (now the Tokyo University of the Arts) under the guidance of Kobayashi Kokei and Yasuda Yukihiko, as well as Maeda Seison.

　Around 1959, he started to show symptoms of what was termed “atomic bomb disease,” leading him to a heightened awareness of his own mortality. In 1961, he was awarded the Nihon Bijutsuin Award for “A Vision of Buddha’s Death” (owned by the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo) at the 46th Inten Exhibition. The following year, Hirayama studied abroad in Europe and came to believe that Japanese art should embody the traditions of the East, just as Western art does its Christian heritage. In 1964, at the age of 34, he was appointed to a Dojin (coterie) of the Nihon Bijutsuin. “Itsukushima in the Sunlight” was painted in 1993 when Hirayama was 63 years old.

　Itsukushima Shrine held a special place in Hirayama’s heart. Itsukushima and his hometown, Ikuchijima, share the same Ichikishimahime-no-mikoto deity, and both islands served as ports for vessels waiting for the tide. Furthermore, Hirayama considered the shinden-zukuri style of shrine architecture an embodiment of “Japanese stylistic beauty” and recognized it as the pinnacle of Japanese aesthetics, setting itself apart from the influences of India and China. (Hirayama Ikuo, “Itsukushima Shrine, the Best of Japanese Architecture”).

　The shinden-zukuri style from the Heian period frequently features a garden positioned in front of the building. In Hirayama’s interpretation, Itsukushima Shrine stands as a grander replica of Heian shinden-zukuri, with the Seto Inland Sea serving as the garden pond and Mount Misen as the Tsukiyama, the artificial hill commonly found in Japanese gardens. Hirayama praised the shrine’s impressive “scale and calculated architectural composition” and “how it utilizes the ebb and flow of the Seto Inland Sea.” He extols, “The reflection of the vermilion shrine in the water is so magnificent that it’s hard to believe that it is of this world.”

　Hirayama painted the beauty of Itsukushima Shrine on numerous occasions from different angles. “Itsukushima in the Sunlight” was produced with careful preparation so that its rough sketch would also be preserved. (In the collection of the Hirayama Ikuo Silk Road Museum) He also painted “Itsukushima by Moonlight,” a counterpart to “Itsukushima in the Sunlight,” depicting the serene beauty of Itsukushima Shrine under a tranquil moonlit sky.