Interviews
Designing a Japanese-style garden in England
While I was in England, this big nurseryman found out about me and he got a hold of me and asked me to design a Japanese garden for him at the nursery. And he had this great, big section which was kind of narrow but it had 3 teardrops coming down. And he had water coming down there. So Japanese landscaping is done by freehand. Nothing is measured out. It’s always by sight. You’re looking at the side. This goes here, this goes there. So I designed it with a Japanese bridge, a teahouse, a kneeling pond with 3 waterfalls.
But they didn’t have the stones I needed. I’m always used to working with granite. It’s a harder stone. Their stones are like sandstone and they’re very crumbly. Eventually, it would all dissipate. So we devised a way to color concrete and made our stones out of concrete. And that was very tedious.
I was back in England last year to see my grandkids. The design…the landscaping is still there. My daughter said, “Wouldn’t you like to come see your garden?” I said, “No, it’s ok.” Everything now is matured, the shrubs and everything. And I told the owner, “If you get these pine logs and you kind of rough it up a little bit and take a blowtorch, don’t burn the wood too heavy, just slightly scar it and then lacquer it.” That gave the effect of old timber. So that’s what he did. It’s still there.
Date: December 1, 2005
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Daniel Lee
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
Explore More Videos
A Japanese American gardening dance
Senshin Buddhist Temple minister and co-founder of Kinnara Taiko.
A “principally-based” taiko group in England creating a global taiko community
Co-founder and creative director of San Jose Taiko
Philosophical beauty in the art of bonsai
(1914-2004) Nisei Bonsai master in the United States
You can't change the weather
(1914-2004) Nisei Bonsai master in the United States
Challenging Bonsai techniques
(1914-2004) Nisei Bonsai master in the United States
Tough life at boarding house (Japanese)
Shin Issei – owner of izakaya (Japanese-style tavern) and kappo (small Japanese diner) restaurant, Honda-Ya