Art and Missions in Tokyo, Japan

In 2018, Roger Lowther, professional organist and missionary in Tokyo, Japan, gave a concert at First Presbyterian Church of Ocean Springs (FPCOS) where my family and I are members.  I met him during this time and immediately began discussions with him about the possibility of participating in their ministry. 

Sumiyoshi Shinto shrine

The aesthetics of Japan have fascinated me for as long as I can remember.  The simple and elegantly refined designs of the Japanese culture seem to be incorporated into daily life creating a visual cultural identity in a way we don’t see in the United States.  I was invited by Roger to come to Tokyo to experience this culture, to see how they are using the arts to support churches, and to have an exhibition of my own work.  The pastoral staff and mission committee of FPCOS agreed to prayerfully and financially support the trip. It was seen as an opportunity for engagement, encouragement, and learning for the church, myself as an artist, and the missionaries in Tokyo.

Drawing the black pines at the Imperial Palace

Roger and his wife Abi left their home in Memphis, TN 16 years ago to become missionaries in Japan.  They now have four sons who have spent most of their lives there. The Lowthers created an organization called Community Arts Tokyo which hosts art events in support of Christian congregations around the city.  They currently support eight churches. The Christian church is small in Japan. Christianity is mostly perceived as a “western” religion and was actually banned in Japan for about 250 years beginning in the early 1600s.  Hundreds of years later they still feel the effects of this ban. Roger and Abi have learned that because art is such a prominent part of the Japanese culture it has unique potential to build community connections.

I had the pleasure of spending 10 days in Tokyo this past Fall.  Everything was foreign and new. The food, architecture and gardens were particularly exciting to me.  I explored the city through drawing and painting, and cherished the remarkably kind and welcoming people I met, ate with and worshiped with.  New friends from Grace City Church went with me as interpreters and guides to places like the art store and a paper making workshop. The people of Japan don’t hug, but I felt fully embraced by those inside as well as outside of the church.  They were excited to teach me about their culture, such as the tea ceremony instructor, an ikebana designer, and the lady who fed me a grasshopper. 

Learning to make washi paper

“Reflections and Observations” exhibition

The last weekend of my stay in Tokyo there was an exhibition of my work titled “Reflections and Observations”.  I took a recent series of oil paintings of water reflections on handmade paper to show as well as the pieces I produced while in Japan. 

Since my return home Roger has had a new book come out titled The Broken Leaf: Meditations on Art, Life, and Faith in Japan. You can find it on Amazon HERE.

Japan is a visually striking place, and it was incredible to experience it in this way.  Drawing and painting is a prayerful act for me, so it is my hope that people experience the beauty of God’s diverse creation through my work.   On Thursday, January 9, from 5:30 - 8pm, I will be part of a lecture on art, gardens, and architecture in Japan. I will discuss the art that I made and experienced on my trip to Tokyo. Landscape Architect Dianne del Cid will discuss the traditional gardens of Japan, and Preservation Architect Donald del Cid will discuss the history of the architecture in the country. The lecture is free and open to the public with a $5 suggested donation at the Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center in downtown Ocean Springs, MS. From 5:30-6:30 will be an exhibition of some of my work with the presentation beginning at 6:30pm.