Location: Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, CA
Architect: Makoto Hagiwara
Built: Initially began in 1894
The Japanese Tea Garden was initially commissioned in 1894 as part of the Worlds Fair in San Francisco by George Turner Marsh as the Japanese village concession. It was later sold to the City of San Francisco and managed by Japanese immigrant Makoto Hagiwara, where he imported many Japanese plants, birds, and koi fish. Through his management, he was able to incorporate many Japanese aesthetic principles like miniaturization, concealment, extended scenery, and asymmetry. Over time the position that the garden holds in the cultural landscape of the United States has changed through historical events like the anti-Japanese movements during World War 2 and the Japanese Peace Treaty of 1953. In a time of multiculturalism, the Japanese Tea Garden has not only become an emblem of Japanese identity and aesthetics for the diaspora but also space for non-Japanse people to learn and appreciate some aspects of Japanese culture.
Sources:
http://lostinsf.com/en/japanese-tea-garden-0
1 thought on “Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco, CA”