60 Years ofInspiring Harmony and Peace

The Strolling Pond Garden of Portland Japanese Garden being constructed in the 1960s.

William “Robbie” Robinson

Portland Japanese Garden was founded in 1963 and opened to the public in 1967.
Inspired in the late 1950s by a wish to grow cultural ties between Oregon and Japan, Portland Mayor
Terry Schrunk and members of the Portland community conceived the idea of building a Japanesegarden. These were the post-war years; the years of growing civil turmoil in America and chaos
overseas. They were years when memories of World War II lay fresh and raw on both sides andtensions were still high.
The newly-formed Japanese Garden Society of Oregon had two reasons for building a Japanesegarden: providing the citizens of Portland with a garden of great beauty and serenity while forging
a healing connection to Japan on the heels of World War II. The Garden was imagined as blending
Japanese and the Pacific Northwest landscape together as a way to experience “the other” in a waythat was inspirational and rewarding.
At this time in U.S. history, Japanese gardens were similarly founded across the country as a wayto build cultural understanding following the war. As nature needed no translation, an American
could discover Japanese ideals and values firsthand, communicated simply through the forms andexperience of a garden.
Professor Takuma Tono of Tokyo Agricultural University was retained to design the Garden. His
plan included five different garden styles laid out on 5.5 acres – a significant departure from singlestyle gardens in Japan. The design would highlight historical developments in Japanese garden
architecture and, through that, answer the Society’s educational purpose.

60 Years ofInspiring Harmony and Peace

The Flat Garden of Portland Japanese Garden before its constructionin the early 1960s.
William “Robbie” Robinson

In 1967, the Garden formally opened to the public
for the summer. That year, more than 28,000
people came before the Garden closed for thewinter.
Portland’s temperate climate and supportive,
creative community helped Portland Japanese
Garden become a beautiful, local landmark
with 100,000 people visiting annually. At its
25th anniversary in 1988, His Excellency Nobuo
Matsunaga, the ambassador of Japan to theUnited States visited Portland Japanese Gardenand proclaimed it to be “the most beautiful andauthentic Japanese garden in the world outsideof Japan.” But as time went on, the organization’soperations weren’t keeping pace with its own
needs. Neither were its revenues. In 2005, Steve
Bloom came aboard as CEO; the organization had
a $1.7 million operating budget with a $70,000
deficit.
Bloom saw that there was no unified vision forthe organization and set out to transform theorganization into a truly cross-cultural resource.
In 2007, he hired acclaimed author and scholar
Diane Durston to create programming around
Japanese culture, art, and education. One year
later, following an international search, Bloom
hired the organization’s first Garden Curator,
fouth generation Japanese Gardener Sadafumi
Uchiyama to set and implement the highest
standards of Japanese garden design andmaintenance.

The Flat Garden today.

Tony Small

60 Years ofInspiring Harmony and Peace“The Tree,” a maple in Portland Japanese Garden believed to be among the most photographed trees in the world.

David M. Cobb

By 2010, more than 200,000 people were visiting the Garden annually. A new problem had emerged:
the organization’s popularity was growing beyond its capacity. To address the problem, PortlandJapanese Garden retained the world-renowned architect Kengo Kuma to seek a solution.
Kuma’s design principle of harmony between nature and architecture, as well as his commitment
to natural materials and Japanese tradition made him the perfect architect to create a Cultural
Village outside the historical gardens, evocative of the monzenmachi or “gate-front towns” outside ofJapanese temples. This expanded footprint would help accommodate the organization’s rapid visitor
growth, and also create a space for visitors to encounter Japanese arts and culture.
In the spring of 2017, Portland Japanese Garden opened its new Cultural Village featuring four
new structures, each LEED-certified, existing harmoniously with nature. Featuring spaces for
cultural festivals, workshops, and performances as well as a Gift Shop and beautiful Umami Café,
the Cultural Village enriches visits and prepares visitors for stepping into the sacred spaces of theGarden itself.
In 2020, the Garden faced uncertain times as a global pandemic necessitated its temporary closure
on March 19th, just before stay-at-home orders were issued by the State of Oregon. On June 11,
the Garden became the first cultural organization to reopen to the public and in the time since hasreintroduced the programming and in-person experiences that have become a beloved part of thecommunity.

60 Years ofInspiring Harmony and Peace

Japan Institute was established in 2022 as a global cultural initiative of Portland Japanese Garden.
This sibling organization allows for the sharing and expansion of the programs of Portland Japanese
Garden more broadly around the world, the deepening of international partnerships, and thecontinuation of engagement with diverse people through shared experiences and conversations
about peace, beauty, and connection of nature. Japan Institute and Portland Japanese Garden
share a vision – to be a leading global voice for cultural understanding, in pursuit of a more peaceful,sustainable world. The Institute’s headquarters will be located on a 3.65-acre campus three miles
away from the Garden near Forest Park. It is currently scheduled to open in 2027. More information
on Japan Institute can be found at japanesegarden.org/japan-institute.
Today, Portland Japanese Garden is celebrated globally as a haven of garden beauty and crosscultural understanding. With more than 400,000 visitors a year and an operating budget of $12.1
million, the Garden has grown into one of the leading Japanese cultural organizations around theworld. Its meticulously maintained eight gardens, and authentic Japanese programming appeals toPortland locals and international dignitaries alike.
Portland Japanese Garden’s mission: Inspiring Harmony and Peace.

The Cultural Village of Portland Japanese Garden, which opened in 2017.

James Florio