As was shared in our overview of our new fall exhibition, Designing Nature: Elements of Harmony, part of this show will take place in the Calvin and Mayho Tanabe Gallery and will feature imagery from four of Japan’s finest public gardens: Kairakuen (偕楽園) in Ibaraki Prefecture, Kenroku-en (兼六園) in Ishikawa Prefecture, Kōraku-en (後楽園) in Okayama Prefecture, and Ritsurin Garden (栗林公園) in Kagawa Prefecture. Their presence in Designing Nature is not just merely admiration from afar. They are featured with the full support of their respective prefectural governments.
That these august landscapes, each with a rich history and immense cultural value to Japan, would heartily endorse their presence in an exhibition here in Portland speaks to the increasing global reputation that Portland Japanese Garden and Japan Institute have earned.
“Integral to the success of Portland Japanese Garden and now Japan Institute has been its network of friends and supporters in Japan,” shares Aki Nakanishi, Director of Japan Institute and the Arlene Schnitzer Curator of Culture, Art, and Education. “The care that our organization has for fostering these ties has allowed us to tap into the best minds in Japan and has helped shape our programming and remarkable landscape.”
“Japan Institute is building off the foundation Portland Japanese Garden has crafted to demonstrate that gardens are excellent venues to cultivate harmony, dialogue, and cultural immersion,” Nakanishi continues. “I think we’re showing our friends in Japan, a nation possibly unsurpassed in the breadth and depth of its gardens, that there is even more these honored spaces can achieve. Cultural diplomacy works this way—a host nation can learn more about itself when it sees its culture interpreted and showcased in a different part of the world.”
“Relatedly, some exciting news is that Ritsurin Garden hosted a reciprocal photo exhibition honoring Portland Japanese Garden,” Nakanishi concludes. “Installed in their on-site gallery, the exhibition reciprocated the friendship project we presented in Portland and was titled Across the Pacific: The Japanese Garden—A West Coast Treasure from Portland (海を渡った日本庭園 – ポートランドの風景展), on view from September 9 through 23. We look forward to sharing images from this exhibition with our community and are delighted that garden enthusiasts in Japan had the opportunity to learn more about us.”
Words of Congratulations
Ibaraki (茨城県)
“Congratulations on the upcoming Designing Nature: Elements of Harmony. It gives me great pleasure to know that this special exhibition will foster new connection between the Portland Japanese Garden, the City of Portland, and our community. …We warmly invite you to visit Ibaraki and experience firsthand the beauty of Kairaku-en Garden, where seasonal nature and rich cultural history come together in perfect harmony. We look forward towel coming you.”– Governor Kazuhiko Ōigawa, Ibaraki Prefecture
Ishikawa (石川県)
“Congratulations on the opening of Designing Nature: Elements of Harmony. It is a great honor for us to have this opportunity to introduce Kenroku-en here in Portland. Ishikawa Prefecture, home to Kenroku-en is a region rich in tradition and culture cultivated since the feudal era. …I would be delighted if you had the opportunity to visit us in person. I sincerely hope that the connections formed through this special exhibition will continue to grow and flourish in the years to come.” – Governor Hiroshi Hase, Ishikawa Prefecture
Kagawa (香川県)
“I’m pleased to see that the exchange between Portland Japanese Garden and Ritsurin Garden, a special place of scenic beauty in Kagawa Prefecture, which began in 2024, is being introduced in the exhibit. I’d like to express my sincere gratitude for everyone involved for their effort in creating and hosting the exhibition… I hope that this exhibit will be an opportunity for the bond between our two gardens to grow even deeper in the future.” – Governor Toyohito Ikeda, Kagawa Prefecture
Okayama (岡山県)
“I sincerely congratulate you on this magnificent exhibition, Designing Nature: Elements of Harmony. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the people stepping up efforts to hold the event and contributing to the development and promotion of Japanese garden culture. …Please come and visit the land of sunshine, Okayama. I hope you have even more success and development as a hub for the dissemination of Japanese culture.” – Governor Ryūta Ibaragi, Okayama Prefecture