Garden Directors’ Reunion
Making History:
Eight Garden Directors Return to Portland
Prof. Tono, Fred Clyde placing stone
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and learn about the Garden’s History.
The Portland Japanese Garden is proud to host a gathering of the Garden’s past and current Garden Directors. This
internationally renowned group of nine individuals represents a who’s who of the most sought-after Japanese gardeners
and landscapers in the world. Famous for bringing the beauty, harmony, and aesthetics of Japanese gardening to the
world—with a particular impact on gardens in North America—these directors will be coming together for
the first time in the history of the Portland Japanese Garden to share their vast knowledge of gardening with the
public and members of the Garden.
These distinguished landscape designers are known for having designed and created the major Japanese gardens across
the globe—including such gardens as the Morikami and Andersen Gardens in the United States and the Mori Gardens
and Japanese Garden at Showa Kinen Park in Japan—they work to preserve the traditions of Japanese gardening
while continuing to evolve and revolutionize the industry.
The three-day Garden Director’s event includes a presentation by all eight former Garden Directors and the current
Garden Curator Sadafumi Uchiyama at the Portland Art Museum moderated by National Gallery Development and External
Affairs Officer Joe Krakora; the filming of each Director for a future documentary; and a final banquet honoring the
Directors.
Founded in 1963, the Garden has been impressing visitors with its beauty and tranquility since its opening in 1967.
The design is the unique vision of Professor Takuma Tono but the maintenance and development of that vision was
entrusted to the care of eight appointed Garden Directors over 27 years. From October 13-15, 2010, the Portland
Japanese Garden is extremely proud to host the first-ever gathering of these eight Garden Directors and our current
Garden Curator Sadafumi Uchiyama. This internationally renowned group of nine individuals represents a who’s
who of the most sought-after Japanese gardeners and landscapers in the world. Famous for bringing the beauty,
harmony, and aesthetics of Japanese gardening to the world, these directors will be coming together for the first
time to share their vast knowledge of Japanese gardening and the history of the Portland Japanese Garden.
Making History:
Eight Japanese Garden Masters Speak
Co-sponsored by the Asian Art Council of the Portland Art Museum
and the Portland Japanese Garden
Wednesday, October 13
7-9 pm, Fields Ballroom, Portland Art Museum
This event is SOLD OUT
Call (503) 542-0287 with Questions
The Portland Japanese Garden is extremely proud to introduce eight of the top Japanese garden designers in the world
who are in Portland as part of a reunion celebration of the years each of them spent directing the construction and
maintenance of the gardens for which Portland is known internationally.
All eight of the original Garden directors and Sadafumi Uchiyama, our current Garden Curator, share their thoughts on
the development of the Portland Japanese Garden and provide insight into the evolution and current direction of the
art of Japanese garden design.
One of the reasons the Portland Japanese Garden is recognized worldwide is that it was consistently overseen through
its long history by these eight garden masters from Japan.
Making History is a celebration of the significant contribution each of them has made to the development of one of
Portland’s greatest treasures, as well as to the field of Japanese garden design in general.
The program will be moderated by Joseph Krakora, Executive Officer of the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.,
and a member of the Garden’s International Advisory Board.
Making History:
Honoring Eight Japanese Garden Masters
Thursday, October 14:
6- 10pm, Multnomah Athletic Club
Reservations Closed
Call (503) 542-0287 with Questions
With current Garden Curator Sadafumi Uchiyama, the Garden will honor its eight former Garden Directors at a banquet
dinner at the Multnomah Athletic Club. Cocktails will begin at 6pm, with dinner and presentations beginning at 7pm.
Join the Garden’s Board of Directors and International Advisory Board in celebrating the work and vision of the
masters who created the Portland Japanese Garden and helped make it the amazing garden it is today. (Poultry,
vegetarian and vegan options)
The Garden Directors Reunion is sponsored by the Portland Japanese Garden International Advisory Board and the Oregon
Cultural Trust.
Garden Directors:
Kinya Hira (Buena Park, California)
Served as Garden Director 1964–69
Mr. Hira was the first and longest-serving director of the Portland
Japanese Garden. He worked directly with Professor Takuma Tono, the Garden’s original
designer, on the formative stage of the Garden’s development. Under the direct
supervision of Prof. Tono, Mr. Hira worked on the development of Flat Garden,
Stroll Garden and sand-Stone Garden. After completing his tenure at the Portland
Japanese Garden, he went on to build a very successful Japanese garden
design firm in Southern California building residential gardens primarily in
Beverly Hills and Orange County.
Hoichi Kurisu (Portland, Oregon)
Served as Garden Director 1968–73
Mr. Kurisu is the owner of Kurisu International Inc. based in Portland,
Oregon. He is one of the foremost Japanese garden designers in North America
today. In addition to his work at the Portland Japanese Garden, including
the restoration of the Heavenly Falls in the Lower Pond, he was principal
designer of the Morikami
Gardens in Florida, the Anderson Japanese Garden in Illinois, and
the roof garden on the Contemporaine
in Chicago—among many others. Over the last 20 years, his practice has
focused on the creation of what we know today as “restorative or healing
gardens” at various healthcare facilities throughout the US.
Hachiro Sakakibara (Tokyo, Japan)
Served as Garden Director 1972–74
Mr. Sakakibara worked on the design and construction of the Portland
Japanese Garden’s Natural Garden, the most contemporary of the five garden
styles. He is currently one of the most sought-after landscape architects in
Japan. Noted for synthesizing traditional Japanese garden styles into
contemporary settings, his major projects have included the impressive public
gardens at Tokyo Mid-Town, Mori Gardens at Roppongi Hills, and the Japanese Garden at Showa
Kinen Park. He is also Professor of Landscape Architecture in the Department
of Art & Design at Meisei University.
Michio Wakui (Nagano, Japan)
Served as Garden Director 1974–76
Mr. Wakui initiated the development of the outer Tea Garden at the Portland
Japanese Garden. He is most noted in Japan for the design and construction
of Teishaba Garden, at Komoro Station in his hometown of Komoro City in Nagano
Prefecture, for which he received an award from the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism. His book
Natural Style Gardening in Shinshu (Japanese) was published by
Shinano Mainichi Publishing Company.
Masayuki Mizuno (Beaverton, Oregon)
Served as Garden Director 1977–80
Mr. Mizuno’s training in garden construction and maintenance in Tokyo led him
to establish the Portland Japanese Garden’s superb garden maintenance
system upon the completion of the major features of the Garden. Since then,he
has operated his own landscape consulting company in the United States and his
clients include the Seattle
Japanese Garden, Nikka Yuko Garden (Alberta, Canada), and
the Nissho Iwai Garden at NIKE Headquarter Campus in Beaverton.
Kichiro Sano (Kyoto, Japan)
Served as Garden Director 1982–84
Mr. Sano is noted for his mastery of the traditional gardening techniques of
Kyoto. The current Head Gardener, Michael Kondo learned and inherited to date a
finest craftsmanship from Mr. Sano. Mr. Sano worked on the inner Tea Garden at
the Portland Japanese Garden and contributed greatly to that Garden’s
traditional style. He now lives in Japan where he works with Kawasaki Zoen Inc.
overseeing the private Matsushita Estate Garden in the Nanzenji district of
Kyoto, among other projects.
Takao Donuma (Niigata, Japan)
Served as Garden Director 1985–87
Mr. Donuma, currently the president of Yosho-en Corp. Inc., a prominent landscape
design-build firm in Niigata, Japan, pioneered in Japan the research and
study of Japanese gardens outside of Japan. At the Portland Japanese Garden,
Mr. Donuma expanded and completed what is Natural Garden today. He holds a
doctorate in environmental studies from Niigata University, where he has pursued
a lifelong study of the development of Japanese style gardens outside of Japan.
He co-authored “A Study of the Characteristics of Establishing a
Japanese Garden in Washington Park, Portland, Oregon.” He is also a
consultant for the Hakone
Gardens in Saratoga, California.
Toru Tanaka (Beaverton, Oregon)
Served as Garden Director 1988–90
During his time as Garden Director of the Portland Japanese Garden, Mr.
Tanaka restored the Natural Garden and designed the Sapporo Plaza adjacent to
the Flat Garden as well as the Antique Gate area gardens. He worked with Hoichi
Kurisu on a number of major projects at other gardens, including the
construction of the Anderson Garden and the Morikami
Gardens. With more than 40 years of experience, Toru has created thousands
of public, residential, and commercial gardens in both Japan and North America.
He is a master of integrating authentic Japanese landscape design with existing
natural elements. He is currently the owner of Japanese Garden Specialty LLC,
based in Portland, Oregon.
Sadafumi Uchiyama (Portland, Oregon)
Current Garden Curator
In October 2008, Mr. Uchiyama was appointed Garden Curator of the Portland
Japanese Garden, a new position with the mission of determining the vision
for the future of the Garden. Born and raised as a third-generation Japanese
gardener in Southern Japan, he then moved to the United States in 1988. He holds
a master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Illinois and
is a registered landscape architect in Oregon and California. His major garden
projects in the United States have included work on the Osaka
Garden at Historic Jackson Park in Chicago and the renovation of Shofu-en
Garden in Denver.
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