Portland Japanese Garden Press Releases

Portland, OR—Moonviewing, or Otsukimi, is one of the oldest and most elegant traditions in Japanese culture. The practice of Moonviewing dates back to the Heian period (794–1192 CE), when Kyoto was the capital of Japan. The first Moonviewing party was held at the Imperial Court in 909, when courtiers celebrated the harvest moon with a romantic evening of sipping tea and sake, listening to quiet music, and writing poetry.

In Japan, the moon disappearing behind the clouds is a metaphor for the fleeting beauty of life. Depicted in poetry and painted in gold on lacquered trays, the autumn moon has captured the imagination of the Japanese for over a thousand years—a symbol of this most melancholy of seasons when summer days fade into fall.

Portland, Ore. – The Portland Japanese Garden will be holding a Free Admission Day on September 2, from 10am-7pm—sponsored by the PGE Foundation. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to invite their friends, family, and fellow community members to visit the Garden on this Free Day. Garden guides will be stationed throughout the Garden to help answer questions and speak about the Garden’s history, culture, and traditions.

“Free Admission Days are now a regular part of our event offerings as we continue our efforts to open the Garden to the community,” Steve Bloom, the Garden’s Executive Director. “We are excited to share the Garden with visitors as summer begins to turn to fall, and we are fortunate to have the generous support of the PGE Foundation.”

Portland, OR—It’s time for Behind the Shoji Art Show & Sale, the Portland Japanese Garden’s biggest art event of the year. This year’s show has a whole new look and feel, with amazing art by outstanding artists from around the Northwest and around the world.

This spectacular annual art exhibition and sale features Asian-inspired original artwork and unique gifts—all within the setting of the beautiful Pavilion at the Portland Japanese Garden. The exhibition this year features exquisite pottery, photography, glass, jewelry, textile art, forged metal art, sumi-e paintings, stationery, and more.

Portland, OR – Stephen D. Bloom, Executive Director of the Portland Japanese Garden in Portland, Oregon, has been awarded an International Affairs Fellowship in Japan for 2008–09, sponsored by Hitachi, Ltd. The award is presented by the Council on Foreign Relations, an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to increasing America’s understanding of the world and contributing ideas to US foreign policy.

Portland, OR – From the classical beauty of Katsura Imperial Villa to the Tenshin-en garden of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, landscape architect Shiro Nakane understands both the value of tradition and the importance of living your moment in history. The son of the late Kinsaku Nakane, arguably the most important traditional Japanese landscape designer of the 20th century, Shiro Nakane worked at his father’s side for more than 30 years. As the current head of Nakane & Associates, Japan’s leading garden research and landscape consulting firm, Mr. Nakane is in charge of the restoration of some of Japan’s most prestigious traditional gardens. He is also actively involved in creating new spaces that challenge the conventions of the past, while bowing to the hard-earned lessons of more than a thousand years of Japanese garden design history.

Portland, OR – When a chef seeks to convey a sense of coolness to guests on a hot summer evening in Tokyo, the serving vessel of choice is often made of glass—as icy as the surface of a garden pond in winter. Since the introduction of glass beads from China in the 4th century, the Japanese have embraced glass as a medium for producing everything from blown-glass wind chimes and glass fishing floats to exquisite cut-glass bowls that adorn the summer tables of the aristocracy. Influenced in the 16th century by gifts of glassware from early Dutch and Portuguese emissaries, the Japanese quickly developed techniques and skills that rivaled the great glass makers of Europe. Today, contemporary artists working in glass in Japan are creating work that has captured international attention for its originality and fine craftsmanship.

Celebrate Spring at the Portland Japanese Garden

Portland, Ore. – In early April, around the time the cherry blossoms bloom, Japan celebrates the birthday of Buddha. Throughout Japan, miniature pavilions with a statue of the young Buddha are decorated with flowers and carried to Buddhist temples in colorful processions. Children take turns pouring tea over Buddha’s head, as a gesture of purification and prayer.

Portland, OR – Twenty-four ceramic artists from the Hokkaido Pottery Society will bring their work to the Portland Japanese Garden for a special preview exhibition entitled Ceramic Art from the North: An Exhibition of the Hokkaido Pottery Society. This spring exhibition is part of the Garden’s 2008 Art in the Garden series and is being held in conjunction with the Oregon Potters Association Ceramics Showcase.

The Hokkaido Pottery Society has a 40 year history as a ceramic art group. Founded in 1968 under the auspices of the Hokkaido Industrial Research Institute, Kobushi Toen, and Otaru Kama, the Society’s initial purpose was to exchange technical information and friendship among the members.

Portland, Ore. – A half-smile, the faultless restraint, the delicate features—the face of a Japanese doll silently reveals the soul of an ancient culture. Hina Matsuri, the Festival of Dolls, celebrated on March 3, is a once a year event during which little girls learn the importance of gentility and thoughtfulness, qualities they would need to become good wives and mothers in traditional Japanese society.

A major feature of this celebration is the display of Hina Ningyo, special dolls representing aspects of the royal court during the Heian period (795-1185), usually arranged on a five- or seven-tiered stand that is covered with a celebratory red cloth and placed in the best room of the house.

Portland, Ore. – In Japan, the cycle of life from birth to death is reflected in the quiet passage of a year in the Garden. Marking the subtle changes in weather that accompany each passing cycle of the moon, Japanese farmers sought the help of the kami, or gods, during five cultural festivals in order to move the cycle of life forward and bring their crops successfully to harvest. Known as Go-sekku, this succession of cultural festivals has been observed in Japan since at least the 6th century.