Garden History

Garden History

Representation Matters: Mari Watanabe, Board Trustee, on Making History by Becoming First Japanese American Woman to Join Oregon Legislature

On January 19, 2025, history was made at Portland Japanese Garden when Oregon State Representative Mari Watanabe was sworn in by Justice Aruna Masih of the Oregon Supreme Court to fill a vacant seat for House District 34. Watanabe, who has served on the Garden’s Board of Trustees since May 2024, is the granddaughter of Japanese immigrants and has been a Portland resident since 2000.

In the News Garden History

The Zoki no Niwa of Portland Japanese Garden: A Uniquely Natural Feeling

Issue 11 of The Journal of the North American Japanese Garden Association (NAJGA), published in November 2024, features an article written by Will Lerner, Communications Manager for Portland Japanese Garden and Japan Institute. In it, Lerner shares insights from the organization’s Garden Directors and Curators, all Japanese-born niwashi (garden masters). They discuss the Natural Garden, one of the organization’s five historic garden spaces, and an example of the zoki no niwa style.

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Garden Path Garden History

High-Ranking Japanese Officials Who Have Affirmed the Authenticity of Portland Japanese Garden

Portland Japanese Garden’s reputation as “the most beautiful and authentic Japanese garden in the world outside of Japan” is one that has been burnished over the decades by the many dignitaries from Japan who have walked its grounds. To have earned this reputation is something the Garden cherishes and does not take for granted. Photo: © 1978 Randy Wood / The Oregonian. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Garden Path Garden History

The Experience of Oregon’s Nikkei

As we look ahead to Asian American Native Hawai’ian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month in May, we reflect on what it means to be an organization that represents this community by diving further back into our history.

Garden Path Garden History

A Token of Good Will and Friendship: The Story of the Sapporo Pagoda Lantern

Of all the many stone lanterns throughout Portland Japanese Garden, none might be as visually arresting as the Sapporo Pagoda Lantern. No matter which way it is approached, through the Wisteria Arbor, the Camellia Tunnel, or along the slope of Cherry Tree Hill, its towering 18 feet draw the eye immediately. Grand and stately, the lantern’s form is that of a goju-no-to, or five-story pagoda.

Garden History Culture, Art, & Education

Casting the Light of Everlasting Peace: The Story of a Stone Lantern

This article is also available as a pdf. By Will Lerner, Communications Manager for Portland Japanese Garden & Japan Institute We may never know who created the first stone lantern or the precise form that it took, but surely it must have been installed where humankind traversed and in a place in want of illumination.