PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — Japanese artist Hiroyuki Sugano has worked in the medium of pencil for the last 10 years. His works are now on display in an exhibit aboard the Battleship Missouri Memorial, “Legendary Naval Warriors — The World of Hiroyuki Sugano’s Pencil Drawings.”

The purpose of Sugano’s creative work is to “honor the memory of our ancestors by creating precise and dynamic drawings of historic warships and their crew,” according to a release.

Visitors to the Missouri will see an initial showing of 12 of the artist’s intricate naval drawings that include U.S. and Japanese warships from World War II. Brief biographies of U.S. and Japanese sailors who served aboard the ships will accompany the artwork.

“This is more than just an exhibit, but a dedication to the people who built and operated ships and aircrafts in WWII and further acknowledging the strong ties between Hawaii and Japan,” said Mike Carr, in a news release. Carr is president and CEO of the USS Missouri Memorial Association. “We are honored Hiroyuki Sugano has generously donated 16 pieces of his powerful artwork to the Mighty Mo as a new home to display such a significant time in history.”

Sixteen of Sugano’s art pieces will now be permanently in the Battleship Missouri Memorial’s collection and will rotate in and out of the exhibit through Jan. 2023.

Both Sugano and the Missouri share the hope that the exhibit will inspire “future generations to reconsider the history of war that our predecessors walked through.”

Sarah Yamanaka is a digital journalist for Spectrum News Hawaii. Read more of her stories here.