GRESHAM JAPANESE GARDEN

Tsuru Island
Of course the event would have not taken place without

THE NAJGA CONFERENCE BY JAMES CARD

the host organizers from the Portland Japanese Garden.

The North American Japanese Garden Association

Introducing the $33 million expansion that they

conference was held in Portland for the first time. This

completed earlier this year was very interesting. They

year's event had representatives participate fromhave now reached the limit of the boundaries and cannot

England, Scotland, Denmark, Japan, Australia andexpand any more. For visitors this means having to wait

Canada. The largest representation from Japan and theto go into the actual garden so that the overall number ofUSA. The event was held at the downtown Portland

visitors is kept in balance. The Portland garden now

Hilton and was very well organized.

employs 120 people and a large team of volunteers whileboasting 300,000 visitors annually or $4,500,000 is gate

I had the pleasure of making one of the manyfees.

presentations to the attendees. About 100 people were inattendance. My presentation was called "Fukkatsu, theThis conference consisted of the reports on famous

rebirth of Tsuru Island". 7 years of stories is hard to getgardens and their beginnings; the basics of building a

into 20 - 25 minutes. During the event I am reminded

Japanese fishing boat; reviews of modern day gardensthat every garden has a different beginning and awith massive water features and the programs that aredifferent reason to be developed. Refurbishment of andesigned to offer a peaceful place to those in need; theexisting garden is a whole different story.

future of Portland Japanese garden; amongst others.
Many program speakers had interpreters from English toJapanese using headsets.

A tour was given of theLebanon, Oregon Hospital garden, built by Kurisu
International.
Like any event vendors were present. Some from Japan
provided metal roof ornaments, finials, rain chains andgutter systems, all made of copper or bronze, and shipped

Kaz Kids Schedulefrom Japan.

November 9th, 11am

For now I take away great memories of the people I met
and topics which sparked my interest to go into the next

March 15th, 11am

phase at the Gresham Japanese Garden.

April 12, 11am
May 10th, 11am
James Card:
ISSUE 33

EditorOCTOBER 2018 EDITION

Page 1ISSUE 33

OCTOBER 2018 EDITIONPage 2

Authentic Japanese Gardens

the position of plants, the texture, the color of the plants,

by James Card

and what is developed around each plant. Boulders are
considered to be the foundation of the garden. TheI am not an expert on the topic of Japanese gardens anddo not pretend to be all knowledgeable about thebuilding gardens. This article comes from theposition and cut the stone is placed with such care. Thestone is not just placed on the ground, it has to blend
and balance with its surroundings

knowledge gained at some of the presentations at theI now realize that there is no such thing as an authentic

2018 NAJGA conference.

Japanese garden. In the past the "masters" made theOver several decades I have read books written aboutJapanese gardens. These books have always made me
wonder about an authentic Japanese garden and rulesthat apply to them. This style garden originated in
China and likely the influence of Zen. The dry garden
had various components representing water, stone andstreams. It was tranquil therapy to rake the beds withsimple or elaborate designs. Small indoor gardens withinterior decorations were presented on a tray or othercontainers. As time went on gardens developed theaddition of plant materials for exterior gardens
Over time, the 11th to 19th century, garden builders
started using the materials that were available. Somegardens added Japanese lanterns. Instead of lighting
destinations they became ornaments. Each newdevelopment adds a different point of view or new idea
or combination of ideas. Why would Japanese gardens
be any different over 8 centuries or more? A builder

rules and only the master could change the rule. That is
not true either. There are some outstanding gardens inNorth America, Europe and other parts of the world,
built by non-Japanese gardeners. The rules are in thevision, the talent, the experience and the heart that thebuilder possesses. There are some basics that all garden
builders must know and understand. In Japan some of
the materials were not intended to be used in a garden
when first made but were adopted by the builder to fill aspace, draw the eye or to perform some other function at
its new home. Such an item would be a mill stone.
In the beginning of the Tsuru Island project, Tomiko andI met with a well-known and respected Japanese garden
designer who is Japanese. When we asked about rules,
he said to do what we felt in the area and illuminate ourthoughts. We have done that and added some of the"traditional" aspects and detail to the garden that mostpeople relate to Japanese gardens.

sees a garden that was made some time ago and begins

There are so many aspects to the Japanese Garden thatto put their own spin on the approach and the outcome

have not been mentioned. Some include maples, pines,of their garden. The lay of the land makes a big

hinoki, cryptomeria, bamboo, lanterns, mill stones,

difference with how the garden is going to turn out andgravel, grasses, moss, tea, camellia, structures, roof lines,

eventually appear. If the area is flat, a berm is needed.

water, bridges, barrowed landscape, the moon, Giboshi,

If it is not level you may have to move the soil andthe cherry tree and the apricot tree. Every one of themconstruct distance from the flat or build retaining walls.

has a story and in most cases that story is long and old.

Gardens must have a theme, a place to enter and a placeto leave. Some gardens are to be viewed from a certain
place or spot like a window or an outdoor room. Most
Japanese gardens are intended to resemble nature.
Plants, construction materials and design can all be
used to bring nature closer to man, with that comes thepeace, quiet and stillness of the garden. Nature has no

I have visited dozens of Japanese gardens in the USA
and in Kyoto, Japan and I realize that some gardens
were long term projects (100 years) and huge whileothers are small and taking less time. The maintenanceis everything. In the case of Tsuru Island there is astandard that is very high. It is only because of ourvolunteers and those that provide us with the funds

disasters...only change.

through donations that we are able to keep this standard
Gardens can also be considered to be a form of art. It isat this level.

especially true of Japanese gardens that provides plants,
ISSUE 33

OCTOBER 2018 EDITION

Page 3

The Gresham Japanese Garden is being considered forweddings and wedding pictures at an increased level.

ORDER A TOUCHSTONE PAVER

Saturday, October 27th the garden hosted a wedding
ceremony for John Clark's brother, Paul and bride
Rhonda.
Sasha Konell, City of Gresham employee, will be assisting
the volunteers to prepare for these events more efficiently
in the future.

For that hard-to-buy-for person in yourlife. Engrave a meaningful picture with
their name on the walkway between theSpringwater Trail and Gresham City Park.

Reservation details for weddings and wedding picture
are available on the web site. Greshamjapanesegarden.com

ISSUE 33

OCTOBER 2018 EDITION

Page 4