Noted Japanese-style painter Shoko Uemura died early Sunday morning of heart failure at a Kyoto hospital, one of his family members said Monday. He was 98.
The eldest son of Shoen Uemura, the first woman to receive the Order of Culture for her paintings of beautiful women, Uemura studied under Japanese painting authority Suisho Nishiyama while still a student at Kyoto Municipal School of Fine Arts and Crafts (the present-day Kyoto City University of Arts).
After World War II, Uemura helped establish a group of creative artists, then was a member of the "Shin Seisaku Kyokai" (New Creative Association) before he helped establish "Sogakai" (the Creative Painting Association) in 1974.
Uemura, whose real name was Shintaro Uemura, served as professor of his alma mater from 1953 to 1968 and was professor emeritus of Kyoto City University of Arts at the time of his death.
Uemura was elected to the Japan Arts Academy in 1981 and was awarded the Order of Culture in 1984. One of his most renowned works is "Juka Yukin" (Birds under the Trees).