trees, and the like. To the
north side of the lake, rocks
emerge and become islands.
Using the central big island,
build a bridge to connect the
opposite shores.
From the opposite
shore, the lake turns into a
plain or flat land. The lake
shore is low, with a sandy
beach and inlet where reeds
and Japanese bush clovers
grow. The north end of the
lake faces an implied village
with harbor (and the future
clubhouse site). Opposite
the harbor is a wisteria arbor
for the villagers’ recreation.
The lower stream of the lake
on the east shore passes a
rocky area, where it becomes
a small river and flows into
the ocean (outside the
garden.)
As described, water flows
out of the mountain and
creates the lake. Make the
water scene the center of
the garden and build a path
around it. While strolling the
path, different sceneries can
be enjoyed along the way.
—From “An explanation of the design of the
Japanese Garden in the University of Washington
Arboretum,” by Kiyoshi Inoshita
. . . . . .
Pamphlet in Collected Papers (1959)
Shizue Prochaska and Julie E. Coryell, translators
Teiseki to Jyumoku, Stones and Plants
...William [Yorozu] took me around hunting for
rocks but we could not find what I was looking
for. On the evening of the third day as we were
returning home along the Snoqualmie River, I
heard the sound of dynamite. I asked, “What’s
that?” Told they were making gravel, I climbed
a mountain to see. It was a wonderful granite
mountain. The granite resembled the [prized]
patterned rocks of Kami Ōshima, on Mount
Tsukuba and looked well suited for a large garden.
Located about 50 miles from Seattle, named
Bandera and privately owned, the mountain had
never been quarried for garden rocks. So, it was
simple to purchase 800 tons.
The next item of business was trees and
shrubs for the garden. I had expected some difficulties
but after we surveyed local nurseries we
found there were plenty of evergreen conifers and
deciduous trees such as maples. But the specific
Japanese varieties of broadleaf evergreens such
as mochi no ki, holly, Ilex integra; shii, tanbark
10 v Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin