The Hagiwara family actually lived in the park (in a smaller private section) and took care of it from 1895 to 1942, when they were forced to leave and relocate to internment camps with other Japanese-Americans. The garden was renamed the "Oriental" Tea Garden and started to deteriorate, with structures being moved, sculptures disappearing, and rare Japanese plants dying.
The original name was restored in 1952, and what remains from the original village is still well worth a visit if you're in San Francisco.
The Tea Garden is a "wet garden", with a pond dominating the scene.
The "Drum Bridge" (Taiko Bashi) was part of the original exhibition. It was built by a master shrine builder in Japan.
It's also called "Half Moon".
Looking down from the Drum Bridge
Another section of the pond, with a stone lantern.
The pagoda was part of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in San Francisco. It is now in the place of the Hagiwara's original Shinto shrine.
The Temple Gate, also from the 1915 Expo
This bronze Buddha was cast at Tajima, Japan in 1790, and presented to the garden by the S. & G. Gump Company in 1949. I am not sure how they came by it.
This Peace Lantern, on the other hand, was donated by the children of Japan in 1953 as a token of their friendship. I hope they got something in return.
Gardens are a traditional art form in Japan, representing nature in symbolic ways. This is a dry Zen Garden.
The Tea House. Supposedly, this was where fortune cookies made their first appearence in the U.S.
My jasmine tea is visible; I'm not. The Barbarians are drinking carbonated sugar water. I'm surprised their newly purchased katanas are not on the table, next to the snake.
More history and better pictures at holymtn.com and inetours.com.
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Comments: 28
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
The tea garden is beautiful. Thanks for the tour.
You children are gorgeous, and I love all things Japanese. Thank you!
Your photographs show a good eye for composition. The pictures of the Drum Bridge and the Tea Garden are incredible.
(I can still be referred to as Aniko. I'm just trying to get this account off the first page of Google hits for that name.)
I could live in a garden. This garden, particularly.
The man behind the column was not hidden on purpose, but he doesn't necessarily like his picture all over the www either, so it sort of works out this way. There's another picture with him visible but with the almost teen making that weird face that happens when the camera catches people chewing, and since that one's always hovering over my shoulder (and probably stalks me too), I wouldn't dare put it up here. (Is there an internet acronym for that? KOS--kid over shoulder?)
Thank you for posting this beautiful essay.
Interesting. Will that work without changing your username?
I thought something like this, An*k* - didn't think you were ashamed of him or anything ;-)
MJ W--I'dl settle for a house and a garden with a pond for now....
one day, man.
one day.
crisp shots, by the way.
And the other dream was to visit the redwoods. I will always remember that as one of the happiest days of my life.
Aniko, I loved viewing the pictures andreading of the history of this place. It's a pity things disappeared, but I am glad it has been restored to it's former glory. There is something special to a Japanese garden, it is like the connection to nature is intensified.
The redwoods are great, Tonia. (I have an old article with pictures from Muir Woods, but the last time I saw it, not only had the serial updates messed up the formatting, but it was not possible to edit it. The edit page would simply not load.)
I liked that phrase too, Rose. :-)
i have friends in sf who have been trying to talk me into visiting for many a year now. seeing this gorgeous garden has made it that much more tempting.
ps. damn cute barbarians.