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.
This year a generous gift from the Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation enables the completion of the Zig Zag Bridge project. Further materials, including Alaskan yellow cedar railings, have been reclaimed from the Garden’s recent Pavilion construction project. Removing and replacing the bridge also provides the opportunity to repair the original pond liner underneath.
The project’s end result will be both sturdier and less confining for visitors, while remaining in harmony with a traditional Japanese garden setting and true to Tono’s original plan. “In our construction plans, careful attention has been given to the origin of design, historical development, and appropriate aesthetic values,” commented Garden Curator Sadafumi Uchiyama. “The finest materials and quality craftsmanship will make these improvements to the bridge of great benefit to the Garden.”
Sadafumi Uchiyama
Construction is scheduled through April 2010. We’ll be updating this post with more photos as the project proceeds—please check back.
February 18, 2010
Virginia Harmon
February 19, 2010
Stephanie Moss
February 23, 2010
Cedric Wiens
February 23, 2010
Cedric Wiens
March 5, 2010
Stephanie Moss
March 8, 2010
Cedric Wiens
March 8, 2010
Cedric Wiens
March 15, 2010
Cedric Wiens
March 18, 2010
Stephanie Moss
March 18, 2010
Stephanie Moss
March 18, 2010
Stephanie Moss
March 22, 2010
Cedric Wiens
March 23, 2010
Cedric Wiens
March 23, 2010
Cedric Wiens
March 23, 2010
Cedric Wiens
March 23, 2010
Cedric Wiens
April 12, 2010
Stephanie Moss
April 27, 2010
Stephanie Moss
April 27, 2010
Stephanie Moss
