Moderators: Lynne Riggs and Bruce Smith
Date: Saturday, May 17, 2025
Time: 10:00 a.m.–12:00 noon (JST); Zoom open at 9:30 for visiting
Advance registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/eLP-pMQqT9SvmWPoePF7zA

Patricia Massy arrived in Japan in 1965 with a visa to teach English at Kyoritsu Women’s University but with the intention of learning sumi-e and Japanese painting. Unable to find a suitable teacher, she delved into calligraphy as well as indigo and yuzen dyeing, which gave her access to traditional artisans. Her experiences led to a column on traditional crafts in the Japan Times, first the weekly “Edo Etceteras,” then the monthly “Crafts and Craftsmen” from 1972 to 1988. The first was compiled into the book Sketches of Japanese Crafts (1980). She also supervised the rebuilding of a dismantled minka in Nagano prefecture, which became her home and later country retreat after she moved to the Kamakura area. She organized craft and culture tours to different parts of Japan for organizations such as the Tokyo American Club and the Japan Society of New York. For the past 20 years she has pursued her first love of Nihonga-style painting while continuing with writing and translation. Friend and colleague of writers, editors, and translators, she will share recollections and aspirations from over six decades.