Upcoming Happenings
Ikebana for Every Season, Tuesday, May 9th, 1-2:30pm $45
The Art of Bonsai, Thursday, May 18th or Saturday, May 20th, 1-3pm $35‘How To Haiku’ Workshop with Michael Dylan Welch. Zoom, May 16th,
6-8pm PDT - $20

May 2023

Tsuru Soars
Friends of the Gresham Japanese Garden NewsletterAn overview of haiku poetry, and a short history of Japanese haiku. Thisworkshop explores the targets to aim for. Includes writing exercises, sharing
and feedback.

Pruning Program - Spring Course‘Soil! – What it is and How it Works’ with James Cassidy. Zoom, June 19th, 6-7:30pm PDT - $20
We’re adding a scientific element to GJG’s pruning program, Soil! It’s ALL about soil! Most people only have avague idea of what soil is and how it works. You will learn more than you ever thought possible
about soil, including why you are alive, what nutrients are, and how soil stores water and nutrients, all fundamental information important to your landscape.
GJG instructor, James Cassidy has been a teacher of Soil Science at Oregon State University forover 18 years. He teaches a similar introductory class to over 100 students each term, and it’svery popular. This course is underwritten by Bartlett Tree Experts.

Mark your calendars! Thanks to the cultural grant from the City of Gresham, we’re able to provide you with these events.
August 26

Educational Koi Expo, 10am-3pm, FreeA family-friendly educational event for those new to the hobby and/or those thinking about becoming
koi and pond owners. Designated children’s area with fish seminars and origami workstations!

September 10 ‘The Nature of Haiku’ Workshop, In-person with Michael Dylan Welch, 2-4pm, Cost $45
An exploration of haiku poetry in English with an emphasis on the seasonal and nature-focused aspectsof this poetry, covering such techniques as kigo (season words), kireji (cutting words or a two-part 		
juxtapositional structure), and shasei (primarily objective sensory imagery). Includes a nature walk, 		writing exercises and a sharing/feedback session.
October 14-15 Manga: A Brief History & Animation Workshop, all day, Cost $45
Brian Gonzales, a professional artist, will expose you to the rich cultural history of manga and engage 		you in the physical process of making a traditional cell-based animation. This workshop will be 		
followed by an art contest. Limited to 45 students. Reserve your spot now by sending an email tosue@GreshamJapaneseGarden.com.
November 5

Remodel Open House and Ikebana with Nana Bellerud, 2-4pm“Happenings” information and registration at: GreshamJapaneseGarden.org/
Volunteer Newsletter Editors: Mary Dickson, Sue Hughes, Mary Marrs and Mary Taylor. Photos by Bill Peterson.

Did You Know?

D

id you know that the waterfeature on Tsuru Island wasrebirthed from the original waterfeature of the ‘70s Japanese Garden?
When Jim Card, Tomiko Takeuchi and
Sada Uchiyama unearthed the feature,they found small stones and a frontstone forming a circle. Because there
were no remnants of a vessel or basin,
their best guess was a water basin, or
choubachi.
The stones were replaced, and all theelements were purchased to make a tea
basin for cleansing your hands before atea ceremony.
The wood structure to the right of

the tea basin iscalled an azumaya(a-zu-maya), a covered resting place.
Jim Card, Kent
Thompson, andmany volunteers
built the azumaya
John Harrold maintains
from an assembly
the water feature.
plan purchasedonline. The sides and back were madefrom recycled Douglas fir from theoriginal bridge—all in Jim’s wood shop.
To complete the structure, a bench wasbuilt and placed in front of the moonwindow.

PHOTOGRAPHER’S VIEW
.花さくやとある木陰も開帳仏

hana saku ya to aru kokage mokaichôbutsu
cherry blossoms--, under every tree, aBuddha on display– IssaA covered resting place, commonly called an azumaya

Koinobori Fly High on May 5 in Japanby Mary Dickson

Walk through any
neighborhood in Japan on
May 5 and look up. Above,
you will see colorful koinobori windsocks
flying from poles in the breeze. They
are symbols of kodomo no hi, originallyknown as Boys’ Day (known since 1948
as Children’sDay). The
public holiday
celebrates
children’s
personalities
and wishes forthe happinessof all children.
Traditionally,koinobori are
Koinobori windsock flown with theblack carp at
the top of the pole, representing thefather, red carp next, representing themother, and additional colorful carp
representing the children, with specificcolors and sizes denoting the genderand age of the child.
According to Wikipedia, “the day wasoriginally called Tango no sekku, oneof the five major annual ceremonies

held at the imperial court” and started
back in the 12th century, the Kamakura
Period. It was a day to celebrate theperseverance, strength, and well-beingof boys. It is now celebrated on thefifth day of the fifth month, just as Hina
Matsuri (Girl’s Day) is celebrated on thethird day of the third month.
Irises are the official flower, since theleaves are shaped like the blade ofthe samurai sword. Irises are believed
to ward off evil with their medicinal
properties, so people would traditionally
put iris leaves in their bath water, soak
thinly sliced roots or leaves in sake todrink, or put irises in their pillows at
bedtime.
Just as Girl’s Day has its imperial court
dolls for display, Japanese families

display miniature Japanese armor andkabuto called Gogatsu Ningyo. The armor
collection includes a bow, long sword,
war fan and samurai hats. Samurai dolls
are called musha ningyo.

Traditional food to celebrate kodomo no hi.

All festivals in Japan include food,and the food for this festival includes
kashiwa mochi, sticky rice cakes filledwith red bean jam and wrapped in oakleaves, as well as chimaki, sticky ricewrapped in an iris or bamboo leaf.
All over Japan, events celebratingChildren’s Day are held, usually in parksor riverbanks, with colorful displays ofkoinobori.

Remodeling Hazards

GARDEN TIP
Slugs can be a menace in the garden.
I give the native banana slugs a pass,
but there are very few of them. Sluggo®,composed of iron phosphate, is environmentally friendly and can work indeterring them. As a cheaper, nonchemical alternative, slugs are cannibalistic. Dispath a few at night. The next night
you may be surprised to see their relatives
feasting on them and not your plants.
— Jim Buck, Garden Volunteer
and Organic Gardener

Sherwin-Williams® Gresham comes throughfor us again. Last year they donated paintand supplies for our Kyodo Garden mural. This year they’re supporting GJG withpaint and supplies for the Resource Centerremodel.
Thank you Steven Dunford,Sherwin-Williams Gresham manager.

As the weather gets nicer andyou’re wanting to spend timein your yard, we can’t stressenough the importance of deadwood
removal. It’s one of the easiest pruning
concepts: if part of the tree is dead, itneeds to be removed to enhance boththe health and appearance of the tree.
Deadwooding eliminates bug nests,
mold and rot. It allows air, sunlight, andrain water into the interior. From anaesthetic point of view, the simple task
immediately makes the tree (or shrub)
more attractive. If you plan on pruning
it, deadwooding is always the first thing
you do so you can see the structure
more clearly.
Example of deadwooding a pine.
In the case of pine trees, dead branches,leaf and needle debris, stubs, and pinecones are all easy to spot and should be
Cane and woody plants are much more
Remember, when deadwooding pines,removed. Yes, pine cones. Pine cones
most pines don’t back bud, so make sure forgiving plants than pines. If you cut azap unnecessary energy from the tree.
the branches you’re cutting off are dead. live branch, it will most likely sprout aPlus, if you remove them while on theScrap a small portion of the outer bark. If bud at the nearest node you cut.
tree, you don’t have to clean up from theit’s brown, it’s dead. If you see green, it’sground later.
Source: Sukiya Living Magazine
alive and don’t remove it.

Shearing 101

Japanese armor and kabuto called Gogatsu Ningyo.

Repeat Supporter

Good-Bye Deadwood

Our newest volunteer, Kevin Abt, joined ourconstruction at a very timely conjuncture in
our remodel.
He brings complementary skills to our teamsuch as drywall finishing and texturing. And,
he’s a super nice guy who doesn’t mind getting a little dirty.

Another basic pruning technique
is shearing. When doneskillfully, shearing produces
beautiful results.
Japanese hedge shears, karikomibasami, (Tip #1) have long handles andrelatively short blades with an angle
built into the tool. Holding the handles
halfway up helps balance the weight ofthe blades and controls your cut better.
The desired plant shape determines
how to hold the shears (Tip #2). For flat
surfaces, hold the tool at a convex angle
facing toward the plant. For tanamono,
the semi- spherical shrub seen in mostJapanese gardens, the position of the tool
is concave following the form of the shrub. keep one hand completely still andAlthough the pruner has two handles, steady (Tip #3) often tucking in an

elbow near thewaist. The other
hand slips inand out doing
the shearing.
This stabilizes
the action andprovides formore precise
cuts. With
practice, you’lltake as many as
2-3 short cuts every second. Turn yourbody into a shearing machine.
Source: Sukiya Living MagazineKoinobori Fly High on May 5 in Japanby Mary Dickson

Walk through any
neighborhood in Japan on
May 5 and look up. Above,
you will see colorful koinobori windsocks
flying from poles in the breeze. They
are symbols of kodomo no hi, originallyknown as Boys’ Day (known since 1948
as Children’sDay). The
public holiday
celebrates
children’s
personalities
and wishes forthe happinessof all children.
Traditionally,koinobori are
Koinobori windsock flown with theblack carp at
the top of the pole, representing thefather, red carp next, representing themother, and additional colorful carprepresenting the children, with specificcolors and sizes denoting the genderand age of the child.
According to Wikipedia, “the day wasoriginally called Tango no sekku, oneof the five major annual ceremonies

held at the imperial court” and started
back in the 12th century, the KamakuraPeriod. It was a day to celebrate theperseverance, strength, and well-beingof boys. It is now celebrated on thefifth day of the fifth month, just as Hina
Matsuri (Girl’s Day) is celebrated on thethird day of the third month.
Irises are the official flower, since theleaves are shaped like the blade of
the samurai sword. Irises are believed
to ward off evil with their medicinal
properties, so people would traditionally
put iris leaves in their bath water, soak
thinly sliced roots or leaves in sake todrink, or put irises in their pillows at
bedtime.
Just as Girl’s Day has its imperial court
dolls for display, Japanese families

display miniature Japanese armor andkabuto called Gogatsu Ningyo. The armor
collection includes a bow, long sword,
war fan and samurai hats. Samurai dolls
are called musha ningyo.

Traditional food to celebrate kodomo no hi.

All festivals in Japan include food,and the food for this festival includes
kashiwa mochi, sticky rice cakes filledwith red bean jam and wrapped in oakleaves, as well as chimaki, sticky ricewrapped in an iris or bamboo leaf.
All over Japan, events celebratingChildren’s Day are held, usually in parksor riverbanks, with colorful displays ofkoinobori.

Remodeling Hazards

GARDEN TIP
Slugs can be a menace in the garden.
I give the native banana slugs a pass,
but there are very few of them. Sluggo®,composed of iron phosphate, is environmentally friendly and can work indeterring them. As a cheaper, nonchemical alternative, slugs are cannibalistic. Dispath a few at night. The next night
you may be surprised to see their relatives
feasting on them and not your plants.
— Jim Buck, Garden Volunteer
and Organic Gardener

Sherwin-Williams® Gresham comes throughfor us again. Last year they donated paintand supplies for our Kyodo Garden mural. This year they’re supporting GJG withpaint and supplies for the Resource Centerremodel.
Thank you Steven Dunford,Sherwin-Williams Gresham manager.

As the weather gets nicer andyou’re wanting to spend timein your yard, we can’t stressenough the importance of deadwood
removal. It’s one of the easiest pruning
concepts: if part of the tree is dead, itneeds to be removed to enhance boththe health and appearance of the tree.
Deadwooding eliminates bug nests,
mold and rot. It allows air, sunlight, andrain water into the interior. From anaesthetic point of view, the simple task
immediately makes the tree (or shrub)
more attractive. If you plan on pruningit, deadwooding is always the first thing
you do so you can see the structure
more clearly.
Example of deadwooding a pine.
In the case of pine trees, dead branches,leaf and needle debris, stubs, and pinecones are all easy to spot and should be
Cane and woody plants are much more
Remember, when deadwooding pines,removed. Yes, pine cones. Pine cones
most pines don’t back bud, so make sure forgiving plants than pines. If you cut azap unnecessary energy from the tree.
the branches you’re cutting off are dead. live branch, it will most likely sprout aPlus, if you remove them while on theScrap a small portion of the outer bark. If bud at the nearest node you cut.
tree, you don’t have to clean up from theit’s brown, it’s dead. If you see green, it’s
ground later.
Source: Sukiya Living Magazine
alive and don’t remove it.

Shearing 101

Japanese armor and kabuto called Gogatsu Ningyo.

Repeat Supporter

Good-Bye Deadwood

Our newest volunteer, Kevin Abt, joined ourconstruction at a very timely conjuncture in
our remodel.
He brings complementary skills to our teamsuch as drywall finishing and texturing. And,
he’s a super nice guy who doesn’t mind getting a little dirty.

Another basic pruning technique
is shearing. When doneskillfully, shearing produces
beautiful results.
Japanese hedge shears, karikomibasami, (Tip #1) have long handles andrelatively short blades with an angle
built into the tool. Holding the handles
halfway up helps balance the weight ofthe blades and controls your cut better.
The desired plant shape determines
how to hold the shears (Tip #2). For flat
surfaces, hold the tool at a convex angle
facing toward the plant. For tanamono,
the semi- spherical shrub seen in mostJapanese gardens, the position of the tool
is concave following the form of the shrub. keep one hand completely still andAlthough the pruner has two handles, steady (Tip #3) often tucking in an

elbow near thewaist. The other
hand slips inand out doing
the shearing.
This stabilizes
the action andprovides formore precise
cuts. With
practice, you’lltake as many as
2-3 short cuts every second. Turn yourbody into a shearing machine.
Source: Sukiya Living MagazineUpcoming Happenings
Ikebana for Every Season, Tuesday, May 9th, 1-2:30pm $45
The Art of Bonsai, Thursday, May 18th or Saturday, May 20th, 1-3pm $35‘How To Haiku’ Workshop with Michael Dylan Welch. Zoom, May 16th,
6-8pm PDT - $20

May 2023

Tsuru Soars
Friends of the Gresham Japanese Garden NewsletterAn overview of haiku poetry, and a short history of Japanese haiku. This
workshop explores the targets to aim for. Includes writing exercises, sharing
and feedback.

Pruning Program - Spring Course‘Soil! – What it is and How it Works’ with James Cassidy. Zoom, June 19th, 6-7:30pm PDT - $20
We’re adding a scientific element to GJG’s pruning program, Soil! It’s ALL about soil! Most people only have avague idea of what soil is and how it works. You will learn more than you ever thought possible
about soil, including why you are alive, what nutrients are, and how soil stores water and nutrients, all fundamental information important to your landscape.
GJG instructor, James Cassidy has been a teacher of Soil Science at Oregon State University forover 18 years. He teaches a similar introductory class to over 100 students each term, and it’svery popular. This course is underwritten by Bartlett Tree Experts.

Mark your calendars! Thanks to the cultural grant from the City of Gresham, we’re able to provide you with these events.
August 26

Educational Koi Expo, 10am-3pm, FreeA family-friendly educational event for those new to the hobby and/or those thinking about becoming
koi and pond owners. Designated children’s area with fish seminars and origami workstations!

September 10 ‘The Nature of Haiku’ Workshop, In-person with Michael Dylan Welch, 2-4pm, Cost $45
An exploration of haiku poetry in English with an emphasis on the seasonal and nature-focused aspectsof this poetry, covering such techniques as kigo (season words), kireji (cutting words or a two-part 		
juxtapositional structure), and shasei (primarily objective sensory imagery). Includes a nature walk, 		writing exercises and a sharing/feedback session.
October 14-15 Manga: A Brief History & Animation Workshop, all day, Cost $45
Brian Gonzales, a professional artist, will expose you to the rich cultural history of manga and engage 		you in the physical process of making a traditional cell-based animation. This workshop will be 		
followed by an art contest. Limited to 45 students. Reserve your spot now by sending an email tosue@GreshamJapaneseGarden.com.
November 5

Remodel Open House and Ikebana with Nana Bellerud, 2-4pm“Happenings” information and registration at: GreshamJapaneseGarden.org/Volunteer Newsletter Editors: Mary Dickson, Sue Hughes, Mary Marrs and Mary Taylor. Photos by Bill Peterson.

Did You Know?

D

id you know that the waterfeature on Tsuru Island was
rebirthed from the original waterfeature of the ‘70s Japanese Garden?
When Jim Card, Tomiko Takeuchi and
Sada Uchiyama unearthed the feature,they found small stones and a frontstone forming a circle. Because there
were no remnants of a vessel or basin,
their best guess was a water basin, orchoubachi.
The stones were replaced, and all theelements were purchased to make a tea
basin for cleansing your hands before atea ceremony.
The wood structure to the right of

the tea basin iscalled an azumaya(a-zu-maya), a covered resting place.
Jim Card, Kent
Thompson, andmany volunteersbuilt the azumaya
John Harrold maintains
from an assembly
the water feature.
plan purchased
online. The sides and back were madefrom recycled Douglas fir from theoriginal bridge—all in Jim’s wood shop.
To complete the structure, a bench wasbuilt and placed in front of the moonwindow.

PHOTOGRAPHER’S VIEW
.花さくやとある木陰も開帳仏

hana saku ya to aru kokage mokaichôbutsu
cherry blossoms--, under every tree, aBuddha on display– IssaA covered resting place, commonly called an azumaya