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The Japanese Garden of Peace is a
The National Museum of the Pacific War’s evocative character of war’s destruction and death purposefully stands in juxtaposition of the garden’s quiet setting. Taketora remarked, "It is my hope that as the Admiral Nimitz Park is visited by people from all parts of the world, it will be praised as a small oasis of cool, green beauty in Texas. The prayers of many people, those who gave money as well as those who had a part in building the garden, are directed to this objective."
There are many elements in the garden which contain symbolic meaning. Water features represent such notions as loyalty, purifying actions, and one heart. These representations are achieved through the arrangement and shapes of the various elements. An example of this technique is Taketora’s use of field stones he found in Fredericksburg: he mingled them with various plantings on a furrowed expanse of white pebbles. The furrowed pebbles are to remind one of Pacific Ocean waves and to represent the Pacific Ocean’s joining of Japan and the United States. Pacific islands are symbolized with the field stones.
The locally sourced field stones are also evidence of Taketora’s desire to not overwhelm the garden with Japanese influences. He muted that influence in various ways, including planting a mix of American grown trees which were given by Fredericksburg residents.
A lone, square meditation structure with the qualities of an early 1900s Taisho Era house sits at one end of the park. It is similar to one in the city of
The Japanese Garden of Peace is a peace
Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...
garden installed at the National Museum of the Pacific War
The National Museum of the Pacific War is located in Fredericksburg, Texas, the boyhood home of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. Nimitz served as commander in chief, United States Pacific Fleet (CinCPAC), and was soon afterward named commander i ...
in Fredericksburg, Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
.
Background
The Japanese Garden of Peace was designed by Taketora Saita of Tokyo and constructed during 1976 at Nimitz's boyhood home. The Nimitz home is part of the museum complex which includes the National Museum of the Pacific War. The traditional garden is a gift from the people ofJapan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
to the people of America, part of the reconciliation between the United States and Japan and to honor the friendship between Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz
Chester William Nimitz (; February 24, 1885 – February 20, 1966) was a Fleet admiral (United States), fleet admiral in the United States Navy. He played a major role in the naval history of World War II as Commander, U.S. Pacific Fle ...
and Admiral Heihachiro Togo.
After construction funds were raised in Japan, Japanese craftsmen traveled to Texas to build the garden. The finished, $400,000 renovation was opened and dedicated on the 130th founding of Fredericksburg, May 8, 1976. The Admiral Nimitz Foundation is a member of the North American Japanese Garden Association and employs a full-time, properly trained gardener who maintains the facility.
Design and purpose
The National Museum of the Pacific War’s evocative character of war’s destruction and death purposefully stands in juxtaposition of the garden’s quiet setting. Taketora remarked, "It is my hope that as the Admiral Nimitz Park is visited by people from all parts of the world, it will be praised as a small oasis of cool, green beauty in Texas. The prayers of many people, those who gave money as well as those who had a part in building the garden, are directed to this objective."
There are many elements in the garden which contain symbolic meaning. Water features represent such notions as loyalty, purifying actions, and one heart. These representations are achieved through the arrangement and shapes of the various elements. An example of this technique is Taketora’s use of field stones he found in Fredericksburg: he mingled them with various plantings on a furrowed expanse of white pebbles. The furrowed pebbles are to remind one of Pacific Ocean waves and to represent the Pacific Ocean’s joining of Japan and the United States. Pacific islands are symbolized with the field stones.
The locally sourced field stones are also evidence of Taketora’s desire to not overwhelm the garden with Japanese influences. He muted that influence in various ways, including planting a mix of American grown trees which were given by Fredericksburg residents.
A lone, square meditation structure with the qualities of an early 1900s Taisho Era house sits at one end of the park. It is similar to one in the city of Maizuru
is a city in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 78,644 in 34817 households and a population density of 230 persons per km². The total area of the city is .
Geography
Maizuru is located in northern Kyoto Pref ...
, Japan. It includes traditional shoji screens and joinery methods done without nails. At one time, the original structure in Maizuru was owned by Admiral Marquis Togo Heihachiro of the Imperial Japanese Navy
, abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...
.
Footnotes
References
Websites
* * * {{authority control Peace monuments and memorials Texas state historic sites Maritime museums in Texas Military and war museums in Texas Naval museums in the United States Museums in Gillespie County, Texas Biographical museums in Texas World War II museums in the United States Buildings and structures in Fredericksburg, Texas Japanese gardens in the United States