Lecture by Professor Joy Hendry: Reflections on Four Decades of Anthropological Research on Rural Japan (6th February)

On 6th February, the Japan Society of Scotland hosted a guest lecture by renowned anthropologist, Emeritus Professor Joy Hendry of Oxford Brookes University, as part of a series of events that will be taking place in 2020.
 

In her fascinating lecture, Emeritus Professor Joy Hendry reflected on more than four decades of maintaining close relations with a local community near Yame-shi in Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyushu. This made it possible for her to observe the local industry and traditions, such as the production of high-quality tea, the Yame-cha, and the Yame densho kiku, which are Chrysanthemums grown with the help of artificial light to ensure that they are available year-round, as well as the Muneageshiki (a ceremony performed once the ridge of a roof has been raised) for the construction of a new house.
 

Her engagement with the community also resulted in a local carpenter, who was just a young boy when she first visited, building a Japanese room at Oxford Brookes University, for which materials from Yame were used.