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Background: What is believed "unique art" not only in Japan, but also in the world has been invented by an old man in Hiroshima Prefecture.

The inventor is a 63 years old and is an umbrella shipowner in the local port city of Kure.

Recently he invented the methods of painting a picture not with ordinary colors, but with a compound made of cement and pumice-stone powder.

Now, the old man is more busy with production of his unique works of art than with his special profession.

First he mixes up pumice-stone powder with cement and where they are well blended, he puts the sticky paste on a wire gauge in a frame. After smoothing the surface of the material with a trowel he draws a simple sketch on it, builds up the sticky paste on the sketch. As a final touch he uses cement. When this process is over, he puts his work into water for a while. Then taking it out from the water, he dries it in the air.

At present he has many persons whom want to learn his art as apprentices, some dreaming of cutting a figure in the future in this unique field of art.

His new works sell so rapidly that he is said to be thinking over whether he should "change the cow for the horse".

It is not known when the old man will quit his umbrella business, however.