Portland Japanese Garden

The Portland Japanese Garden is making rapid progress in bringing together leaders in the Japanese garden industry towards the formation of a partnership with the purpose of preserving the design traditions and techniques of this historic art form. At the Portland Japanese Garden, we feel this responsibility keenly and are actively participating in ways that fit within our mission.

First, we’re working within our own Garden to preserve the actual gardening techniques (such as pruning, bamboo fencebuilding, and Zen garden raking) by offering local workshops and disseminating information about sources for materials for private and public gardens.

The Garden is increasing its connections with both professional and amateur gardeners. For example, our Garden Curator consults with other public gardens, and landscape architecture students are frequent visitors here on our site.  — Read more »

June marks the official start of summer and the beginning of gift-buying season: weddings, graduations, Father’s Day, and housewarming parties are imminent. We have a new crop of goodies in the Garden Gift Store and online for everyone and every occasion on your list. Books, CDs, sake sets, pen trays, 2011 Garden Calendars, and our exclusive logo-wear are just a few ideas that come to mind. Let us help you with suggestions on our blog at shop.japanesegarden.com/blog.

On June 12-13, the Garden is host to the Rose Festival sanctioned Sogetsu School Ikebana Exhibition. Stop by the store for two of the books featuring the school’s lemoto, or grand master, Akane Teshigahara and save 50% on each book (60% for Garden members).  — Read more »

When I was in Japan for six months last year, one of my intentions was to get to know the professionals and workers in the Japanese garden industry. I wanted to find out as much as I could about current design initiatives, preservation of culture and tradition, what’s happening with gardening techniques, and of course the cultural and economic status of the gardens themselves. I also wanted to build a network of professionals that would link Japanese gardens in the U.S. and North America with their Japanese counterparts.

Not surprisingly, I found there to be concern in Japan about preserving the art form of the Japanese garden, especially in the face of modern landscape design as with the influence of America and Europe. There are also perplexing shortages of skilled designers, constructors, and gardeners who know the old techniques. There is no longer the same prestige in becoming a gardener, nor is there the same patronage of gardens that had earlier helped keep them sound.  — Read more »

As many of you know, last year I had the extraordinary opportunity to spend six months in Japan as a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow and as Visiting Scholar at Tokyo University of Agriculture. During my time at the University, I often ate lunch in the commons with some of the students so I could practice my Japanese language skills and learn firsthand about the Japanese people and their culture today. One day, when I was talking about how much I love our Japanese cultural events such as O-Bon and Moonviewing at the Garden in Portland, two of the young Japanese students looked intrigued. They said they had never experienced either festival and joked that perhaps I knew more about Japanese culture than they did.  — Read more »

April 2009, David M Cobb

Meandering through the Stroll Garden’s beautiful iris beds and along a stream filled with koi fish, the Zig Zag Bridge is an original and integral part of Professor Takuma Tono’s garden design. A familiar tale about this age-old Japanese bridge style asserts that evil spirits can only pursue in a straight line—so those who walk the bridge effectively shake off their troubles! The Zig Zag Bridge is certainly a delight for the Portland Japanese Garden’s visitors, and as their number has increased over the years, the original bridge has begun to show its age.

In 2008, the Garden received a grant from the Wessinger Foundation to restore the bridge, which allowed us to purchase special reclaimed timber for the bridge posts. The opportunity was perfectly timed as this clear-grained, aged timber had surfaced only recently during a storm, having been preserved underwater for decades.  — Read more »

It’s often said that the Portland Japanese Garden is one of the finest Japanese gardens in the world. What makes our Garden so special?

First, it’s the design. Professor Takuma Tono, an internationally recognized authority on Japanese landscape design, oversaw most of the early construction and organization of the Garden into its five harmonious components. Professor Tono designed the Garden to be Japanese in aesthetic but uniquely Pacific Northwest.

Japanese aesthetics differ from those of our Western European origins, where gardens tend to emphasize blooms and bold splashes of color. The Japanese aesthetic is more subdued, with its shades of green, occasional colorful bloom, and attention to form. This aesthetic touches us each in a different way.  — Read more »

Katsuhiko Mizuno

Diane Durston, the Portland Japanese Garden’s Curator of Arts, Culture, and Education, will lecture at the International House of Japan in Tokyo on October 28. Diane’s topic is “Bringing Old Kyoto Home,” a journey through her experience with historic preservation in Japan’s ancient capital city, as well as the strides she has made in educating U.S. audiences about traditional Japanese arts and culture. An 18-year resident of Kyoto, Diane has authored several guidebooks and articles appearing in Japan: The Cycle of Life, the Japan Craft Sourcebook, and the Encyclopedia of Japan.  — Read more »

Designed by Sankei Hara, this stroll garden is distinct because it contains 17 buildings of high historic value reconstructed here from such places as Kyoto and Kamakura. They are arranged skillfully in harmony with the seasonal changes of the natural scenery of the garden. The garden sustained heavy damage in World War II which required 5 years of restoration. Today the garden grounds and its building stage numerous art exhibitions and events throughout the year.

Steve Bloom

Steve Bloom

Steve Bloom

The entries in our Garden Experience Writing Contest are now online at:

• www.japanesegarden.com/contest

Prizes were awarded to authors Val Breuch, Shoshana Edwards, and Annie Lighthart. We extend thanks to all who shared their moving and memorable garden experiences!

In honor of Hina Matsuri, the Doll Festival on March 3, all of our cute Momiji dolls are marked at 20% off through March 15. Momiji dolls are based on the classic Japanese Kokeshi dolls, but these adorable friendship dolls have a secret! Turn them upside down and find a tiny card inside the base to write your own greeting. Each 3″ collectable doll comes with a heart sticker and a collector’s card with a “happy” message packaged in a resealable, ribbon-tied gift bag.

The Ohara School of Ikebana will be displaying their beautiful work on the weekend of March 21 and the Camellia Society’s exhibition will be on display the following weekend and will include a juried show. To further inspire your floral creativity we are offering all of our ikebana books, vessels, tools, and kenzan at 20% off from March 21–29.  — Read more »