The 123 paintings adorning the ceiling of the main building of the Hi-e Shrine in central Tokyo, on which the Tokyo University of the Arts has worked for the past two and a half years, have been completed and the last 35 paintings were installed on May 21. In the paintings of flowers, grasses, trees and insects that lived on the Musashino Plain in the early days of the Shrine (mid Kamakura era to the Hojo era), historical techniques used for expressing botanical art are taken into consideration, at the same time, contemporary expression and ideas are fully adopted. The perfectly balanced layout of motifs and colors was developed through intense discussions on classic materials in addition to extensive sketching of natural plants. While aiming at the harmony of subdued colors achieved by scorching natural paints, tiny pieces of gold foil are sprinkled to create the desired effect for a distant view. Guests who were invited to a showing of the paintings listened to Prof. Miyata Ryohei, President of UTA, who supervised the work, "The Hi-e Shrine presented a very large and magnificent canvas. I hope to pass on the spirit and beauty of Japan through these wonderful ceiling paintings depicted by promising young artists." The ceiling paintings of the Hi-e Shrine were opened to the public from May 22.