Portland Japanese Garden

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 »

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 »

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!

The 2009 Garden Experience Writing Contest is now closed. Great thanks to all who participated! We have enjoyed reading the many wonderful stories shared by our members and visitors. Contest winners will be notified by mail and published in the Garden Path newsletter and on the Garden’s web site.

Adam Hart hails from the Chicago Botanic Garden where he was caretaker of the Japanese Garden and Waterfall Garden. He had previous experience in Richmond, Virginia where he maintained a Japanese Strolling Style Garden at Maymont. Adam holds a B.S. in Horticulture from Virginia Tech and it is his career objective is to become a Japanese Garden Professional. Adam is responsible for the Lower Pond area of the Strolling Garden.

Stephen Siegrist has taken the Facilities and Grounds Maintenance position vacated by Frank Tree.* Stephen holds a B.A. in Interior Design and an Associate’s Degree in Architecture. Stephen specializes in project planning and management, design restoration and maintenance, and has considerable skills in public property presentation. Stephen will provide quality maintenance to all of our structures and buildings.  — Read more »

We are reviewing some wonderful stories and we have decided to extend the deadline for our writing contest to February 28th. Many interesting experiences have occurred at the Portland Japanese Garden over the years and we want to hear about yours! Whether it was a marriage proposal or a personal insight, whether you found great joy or great solace, tell us about it for our Garden Experience Writing Contest. Prizes include a 2-year individual Garden membership and $100 online Garden Gift Store gift certificate for 1st place and $50 online Garden Gift Store gift certificates for 2nd and 3rd places. Winners will be notified by mail and published in the Garden Path newsletter and on the Garden’s web site.  — Read more »

The Portland Japanese Garden is recovering from storm damage caused by heavy snowfall, wind, and rain. The most critical issue concerning structures is damage to the roof crest tiles on the south end of the Pavilion. No tiles were lost due to the incident, and a committee is discussing updating the construction materials and technique in order to reduce the likelihood of a recurrence. The Gazebo in the outermost Tea Garden area also sustained damage from a tree which fell from the hill above, three maples were removed, and some camellias and rhododendron were damaged.  — Read more »

The Garden is very pleased to announce a new partnership with local winery Torii Mor. Torii Mor is now the exclusive vintner of the Portland Japanese Garden and their wonderful wines will be served at several of the Garden’s events throughout the year. Torii Mor winery is located in Dundee.

“We are extremely excited about this new partnership with the Garden and are looking forward to meeting the Garden’s wonderful members and visitors and sharing in the beauty of the Garden,” said proprietors Don and Margie Olson. “We cordially invite all Garden members to a complimentary tasting of Torii Mor wines at the Japanese Haiku House Tasting Room in the Dundee Hills during the month of January where we welcome visitors from 11-5pm daily.” The tasting room is located at 18323 NE Fairview Drive, Dundee, OR 97115.  — Read more »

In a thought-provoking Portland Tribune article dated December 29th, 2008, Sadafumi Uchiyama explains his views on maintaining and maturing the Garden:

“The speed of evolution is definitely slower here than other public gardens,” Garden Curator Sadafumi Uchiyama says. “But evolution is inevitable. The trees and all plants will grow and inevitably at some point they have to be replaced. But as far as the design or skeleton of the garden, it should remain. That’s a part of our mission—to retain the original garden.”

“As far as I’m concerned, this garden has just entered into maintenance period,” Uchiyama, 53, says. “Construction has a goal and an end. Whereas maintenance has no end. Keeping the vision is so important. On what level or in what form do we maintain this garden?”  — Read more »

The Portland Japanese Garden has long been a place of refuge and respite. Through the cultivation and preservation of nature, the Garden is a place to remember the importance of taking that moment of pause to see the beauty of the combined elements of stone, water, and plants, and hear the song and silence of the natural world.

The Garden also serves as a reminder of the ongoing cycle of all things; the seasonal changes of birth, growth, death, and rebirth. And then there are the changes that come with time: the reshaping of a tree, the introduction of new life, the improvements in structure, the replacement of the worn. The Garden is life in endless transformation. Change is very much a part of the world we live in.  — Read more »