China on Thursday extended its condolences over the death of Ikuo Hirayama, a Japanese painter known for works on the Silk Road and Buddhism, saying he had helped foster friendship between the two nations.
"Mr Hirayama is an old friend of the Chinese people and has been devoted to China-Japan friendship, making great contribution to the friendly exchanges and cooperation between the two countries," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters.
"We lament his death and express our condolences."
Hirayama died Wednesday at the age of 79 of a stroke at a Tokyo hospital.
He first gained wide recognition for his 1959 work "Bukkyo Denrai," depicting an ancient Buddhist monk who introduced the religion from India to China.
Hirayama created a series of Buddhist-themed paintings of landscapes and ancient ruins through his frequent trips to sites along the ancient Silk Road.
Relations between Beijing and Tokyo were tense for years, largely because of Japan's bloody occupation of parts of China from 1931 to 1945, but they have improved considerably in recent times.
Copyright 2009 AFP Global Edition
