Visitors to Portland Japanese Garden this winter will see additions to its grounds that haven’t been present since the 1980s: yukizuri (sometimes transliterated as “yukitsuri”). Yukizuri (雪吊り) are aesthetically pleasing support systems that protect and prepare trees for winter—yuki means “snow” and zuri or tsuri means “lifting.” In this we understand precisely how they help protect trees: Straw ropes are cast down from a central pole, almost like the frame of an umbrella. The ropes are then tied to branches to help lift them up with the thought being they’ll better withstand the weight of heavy snowfall or frost.
Portland, Oregon has had its fair share of harsh winter weather, including in January 2024, but typically does not see the kind of significant snow accumulation that might cause tree limbs to buckle and undo months of intentionally-done pruning. This means that this technique, a functional need in the snowier regions of Japan, will be more of an aesthetic touch in Portland Japanese Garden. To that end, trees in the Flat Garden, including its weeping cherry and maples, will have yukizuri with ropes tied to spikes driven into the raked gravel. Meanwhile, the other location where yukizuri can be seen, the Cultural Village, has rope tied to the limbs themselves.
Portland Japanese Garden isn’t the only authentic landscape that will use yukizuri as more of a pleasing sight than a winter necessity. Gardens in Tokyo don’t see nearly the same snowfall as though in northern Japan do but still install them as they have become symbolic and graceful features.
There are many styles of yukizuri seen throughout Japan and the differences can be a combination of both aesthetic touches and materials. For instance, whereas in Tokyo rush is often used to create ropes, the Garden is using those which are made of rice straw, a style preferred in Kanazawa. These rice straw ropes will be familiar to those who have seen shimenawa in the Garden. Shimenawa are stylized and twisted rice straw ropes used for ritual purification and can be found at Shinto Shrines, Torii gates, and trees and landmark rocks in Japan. They indicate the border of a sacred space and act as a ward against evil spirits. The Garden displays them every winter to ring in the new year.
Yukizuri in the 1980s
The first time yukizuri appeared in Portland Japanese Garden was during the tenure of Garden Director Kichiro Sano (1982-84). “I grew up looking at yukizuri in Kanazawa,” shared Sano in a 2010 interview with then-Board of Trustees President Ed McVicker (2009-10). “When I came here, the Garden requested that I make a focal feature for the Garden in winter. Since I heard that it snowed here and there were ice storms that could break the tree branches, I thought yukizuri would be perfect.”
Sano noted that when they installed the yukizuri, it aligned with the 1984 Winter Olympics. Michael Kondo, who retired as Head Gardener in 2017 after having been with the organization for 40 years, celebrated the Games by affixing the famous Olympic rings atop some of the poles.
More Winter Scenery to Join Yukizuri
One mainstay of the Garden’s winter scenery have been kadomatsu: “gate pines” at residential doorways and the entrances to shrines, public buildings, and commercial facilities. Our kadomatsu features pine, bamboo, and plum, which are all considered auspicious plants. Pine, matsu in Japanese, represent longevity, courage, and constancy. Bamboo symbolizes resilience, and plum the purity and renewal of the first blossoms of spring.
Other notable touches will be added to the landscape this winter. Joining the yukizuri will be komo-maki and shiki-matsuba. Komo-maki are straw mats that are gently wrapped around tree trunks with straw rope. They help prevent insects from descending the upper reaches of the tree and reaching its roots. Shiki-matsuba, meanwhile, are coverings of dried pine needles placed on moss to help protect it from frost. These decorations fit within the idea of tei-en no fuyu-jitaku (庭園の冬支度), which translates to “garden’s winter preparation,” or as Garden Curator Hugo Torii puts it, caring for the plants by keeping them “cozy” in winter.
Images of these decorations will be added to this page when the Garden Department installs them.