It is over ten years ago already that we were engaged in creating a Rock Garden at Kubota Garden Forecourt in Seattle. As I stand today in front of the rock garden to recall the event,it was a real feast that we were able to create this garden with a numerous volunteers and donors and were successful designing and building it in a short period of time.

It all started when I was looking for a venue to hold a workshop location for the Fourth International Japanese Garden Symposium in Seattle. Board of the Pugeot Sound Japanese Garden Association, which was created solely to host the symposium, supported my idea to build a rock garden during the symposium, and leave the garden as a memorial to it. Kubota Garden through Don Brooks, a senior gardener who stepped in to offer us the venue fortunately.

I sketched up a design with a potential cost estimate and gained approval of my board as well as Kubota Garden people. All the cost would be covered by donations. I consulted with Yamada family of Hanatoyo Garden of Kyoto to further develop design ideas. Tak Yamada came to Seattle prior to the symposium to detail design and selecting some rock materials with me. A few days before the symposium, some 50 tons of rocks, selected by Terry Welch and donated by Mareneko Rock Center were brought in. By then the site was prepared by crews of Kubota Garden and Yorozu Garden led by Ken Yorozu. On the workshop day of the symposium, Shoji Yamada directed placement of rocks, assisted by Mitsuo Mitsuhashi, M. Tongue and other Japanese gardeners. They all came from different parts of Japan, and it was the first time that they worked together, it was amazing.. At completion, Professor Takeo Uesugi and Shoji Yamada explained design and construction to a large crowd of audience. Together with a help from Seth Seablom and Alan Kubota, I managed to adjust the garden to accommodate some safety concerns of the Park Department as publicly open and unattended garden.

Koichi Kobayashi, September 30, 2014

Rocks are connecting visually the forecourt with the entry gate area at a completion

Rock Garden at

Kubota Garden Forecourt

September, 2014