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Portland Japanese Garden Leader Knighted as Part of Portland Rose Festival

Posted by Portland Japanese Garden on
A man kneels while being knighted by a young woman wearing a crown and holding a scepter.
Hugo Torii, Garden Curator and Director of the Japanese Garden Training Center, knighted by Queen Kobi Flowers. Photo by Portland Japanese Garden.

On June 6, Hugo Torii, Garden Curator of Portland Japanese Garden and Director of Japan Institute’s Japanese Garden Training Center, was formally knighted as part of the 2025 Honorary Knighting Ceremony and Rose Festival Queen’s Coronation. It was part of a more than 100-year-old Portland tradition organized by the Royal Rosarians, a group that “are the official greeters and goodwill Ambassadors for the City of Portland promoting the best interests of the City of Portland and the Portland Rose Festival.”

Taking place at Oregon Square Courtyard, Torii was among a group of honorees from a diverse range of different professional backgrounds and hometowns, all united by the common trait that they have given back to their community. Torii was formally knighted by Queen Kobi Flowers, a student at Howard University who had been crowned Rose Festival Court Queen in 2024. It is believed that Torii is the first member of Portland Japanese Garden’s staff to have received this honor.

A man in a suit holds a framed certificate.
Hugo Torii, Garden Curator and Director of the Japanese Garden Training Center with a certificate commemorating his knighthood. Photo by Portland Japanese Garden.

“I am honored to have participated in this beloved Portland tradition and am humbled by the incredible company that joined me today as part of the ceremony,” Torii shares. “I am also pleased that I could represent Portland Japanese Garden. Much like the Royal Rosarians, the Garden was established by its community to serve its community. We’re exceptionally proud of our Portland roots and are committed to being part of the continued effort to celebrate and uplift this vibrant city.”

The day also included the crowning of Ava Rathi, a senior at Lincoln High School, as the new Rose Festival Court Queen. Rathi, when named a Rose Festival Princess, had told local The Oregonian that “my favorite place to visit in Portland is the Japanese Garden.”