Masae was born and raised in Tokyo. She went to school at JACI, Tsuda School of Business, and majored in English. After graduation, she worked for the president of Japan Industry, Ltd. for a while as a secretary.

Masae left Japan and ventured to the mainland USA in 1980, and then relocated to Hawaii with her son Gilbert in 1986.

Masae has always had a love for art, and excelled in art classes as a student in Japan. At the turn of this century she decided to pursue these talents, and began painting as a hobby. It wasn’t long before people began asking to buy her paintings. At first she refused to sell them because of her own love for each piece she painted.

Eventually her home and studio became so full of art that she had to begin “letting go”. Today her art can be found in a few exclusive stores and galleries in Hawaii, as well as in the homes of people from all over the United States and Japan. Masae says, “I now get even more pleasure from seeing someone take my art home than I used to keeping it all for myself and couldn’t have done this without my husband’s support. In spite of his busy schedule, he is always there for me.”

Masae’s paintings range from Hawaiian landscapes and floral abstracts to her favorite subject of all, her beloved Great White Yard Shark (the family cat).