Two presentations on Japanese Garden

Time: Wednesday, January 20, 2016, 3:30 PM
Place: UW Arboretum Foundation, 2300 Arboretum Drive East
           Seattle, WA 98112 (Both with Power Point Presentation)

“Design of Kurimoto Japanese Garden at University of Alberta”
by Dr. Isao Nakase, University of Hyogo, Japan
and
“Garden of Enlightenment of Tohoku”
 by Koichi Kobayashi, Seattle, USA


      San Diego, CA
      Los Angels, CA
      Saratoga. CA
      Seattle, WA
      Vancouver B.C.
      January 15-25, 2016


Isao Nakase Presents:

① 日本庭園におけるデザインアイデア  Design ideas in Japanese Garden
     自然立地が庭園の基本 : 京都の庭と借景 Base for Japanese Garden-Kyoto Garden
     否定の美の観点から見た日本庭園: Japanese Garden as seen from denial
     デザイン技法 : 縮景・借景、多様な感覚(有機感覚)、スケール感、時間などについて。

②クリモト庭園のコンセプトと設計のついて Concept for Kurimoto Garden
     日本風カナダ庭園 : なぜ、緑豊かなエドモントンに日本庭園 Why in Edmonton?
      地域主義の庭園 : 地元の素材 、技術、人材 High localization

Koichi Kobayashi Presents :

Reflections from "Garden of Enlightenment of Tohoku"
North American's participation on building a commemorative Japanese Garden for victims of 2011 Earthquake Disaster and Recovery. Introduction to 2016 Program and beyond.


A. Design of Kurimoto Japanese Garden at University of Alberta

The Kurimoto Japanese Garden began with the approval of a proposal by Dr. Marion Shipley and the Friends of the Devonian Botanic Garden in 1978. The garden is named after Dr. Yuichi Kurimoto, who was the first Japanese national to graduate from the University of Alberta's Faculty of Arts in 1930. The two Mayday trees, located on the centre hill, were planted by Hiroshi Kurimoto in memory of his parents in 1993.

Purpose 
The Kurimoto Japanese Garden's main purpose is to provide a cultural exchange between the Japanese and Canadians. This exchange has created a place for meditation and contemplation, rather than just another pretty garden. The garden is the creation of the designer, the late Tadashi Kubo, Kubo and Associates, Osaka, Japan. It was implemented by his representative Kozo Mitani, Japan. An attempt is made to idealize or make abstractions of the surrounding nature. There are subtleties left untouched in the garden where visitors are left create images in their own minds. Thus, each person entering and leaving the garden gates forms his or her own interpretation of the garden.
http://www.devonian.ualberta.ca/DisplayGardens/KurimotoJapaneseGarden.aspx


Isao Nakase, PhD
Director General, Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo  
Professor Emeritus, University of Hyogo

Born in 1948 in Osaka Prefecture, and completes a master’s course in agriculture at Graduate School of Osaka Prefectural University.  Before taking the current post, I served as an instructor, and Associate Professor at Osaka Prefectural University, and a visiting scholar at University of California, Berkeley.  I took my PhD in agriculture at Kyusyu University.  I was awarded a prize by Japanese Institute of Landscape Architects.
My main publications include: American Landscape no Shiso (“Concepts of American Landscape”), Kashima Institute of Publishing Co., Ltd.; Mori, Hito, Machizukuri (“Forest, Humans, and Urban Planning”), Gakugei Shuppan-sha; Kankyo wo Mamorisodateru Gijyutsu (“Technology Protecting and Nurturing the Environment: Environmental Strategies for Self-Governing Bodies and Communities”), Gyosei Corporation; Kodomono tameno Asobi Kankyo (“The Environment for Children’s Playing”), Kashima Institute of Publishing Co., Ltd.; Midori-Kukan no Universal Design (“Universal Design for Greenery Environments”), Gakugei Syuppan-sha; Anzen to Saisei no Machizukuri (“Safe, Reproductive Urban Planning”), Gakugei Syuppan-sha.
I had been appointed as a president of Japanese Institute of Landscape Architects, a vice president of Japanese Society of People-Plant Relationship, a member of Independent Administrative Institution Evaluation Committee of Ministry of Finance Japan, a temporary member of Central Environmental Council Japan, a committee member of Japan Groundwork Association, a member of an environmental assessment committee in Hyogo Prefecture, a member of a local urban planning council in Hyogo Prefecture, a member of a council for lives of residents in Hyogo Prefecture, and Director of Tamba no Mori Association.  I am also involved in NPOs by working as a member of an executive committee of a national citizens’ summit for dragonflies, and as a director-general of Hanshin Green Network for reconstructing areas damaged by the Hanshin-Awaji Great Earthquake.


B. Garden of Enlightenment of Tohoku

There are many of you who have benefited overtime being associated with Japan or apprenticed and studied in Japan, yet some of you including myself, who do not know how to assist Tohoku, Japan for their recovery from disasters of March 11, 9011, in some meaningful and constructive way.

There is a unique opportunity to assist in building a Japanese Garden near Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. This garden, when completed, will be a memorial and prayer for victims of disaster and commemorate their efforts in recovery and future development.

Designing and building of this garden is organized by Sendai Chapter of the Japanese Garden Society. It is being built on a five year program with a completion date set at 2019 to coincide with the society's 100 year anniversary.

The garden has been under construction and constatnt design improvement for the last three years under careful eyes of Japanese garden masters of Masaki Kikuchi, Eietsu Yokoyama and Yoshinori Hirose of the Garden Society of Japan.

This presentation is about the purpose of the garden, people involved and our (Team North America) participation in the project, 2015.

Koichi Kobayashi, JILA
Principal, Kobayashi Global of Seattle
Senior Visiting Research Fellow, Hyogo University

Koichi served as the President of Puget Sound Japanese Garden Society and Kobayashi & Associates. His practice and teaching covers both sides of the Pacific. Koichi Kobayashi, A.S.L.A., J.I.L.A., is a registered Landscape Architect, and has over 40 years experience in the fields of landscape architecture, urban design and environmental planning. .Hs education includes a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 1972 and a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture from Kyoto University, Japan in 1968.Since starting his own firm in 1981, Koichi has been involved with all the projects completed by the firm. His work experience covers USA, Canada, Japan, China, Korea and Dubai. He has served as an Executive Board Member of WASLA (1988,1992) as well as a number of other professional and civic commissions and boards in Washington and Ohio as well as  in Japan. He is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, Japanese Institute of Landscape Architects and North American Japanese Garden Society. He is a recipient of a number of awards including American President Design Excellence and Federal Design Achievement and Japanese Institute of Landscape Architectural Award. Currently he is based  out of Seattle, Washington, USA, serving domestic as well as overseas clients , NPOs and volunteer organizations.