Location: Inamori Pavilion

Early Closures: https://www.niwa.org/early-garden-closures)

Included with admission.

Yokai are Japanese supernatural creatures and phenomena from folklore. In ancient Japan, spirits were thought to be formless and invisible to the human eye. However, as artistic traditions developed, it became necessary to visually depict the spirits and monsters from stories. Guests can enjoy the Yokai folklore, art prints, and Yokai movies in this exhibit.

KPBS Media Coverage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWm_XdkvTUA

Kaga Traditional Craft

Curated by Harumi Osawa

• Location: Exhibit Hall

• Daily 10:00 AM – 6:30 PM (Hours subject to change during special events)

• Early Closures: https://www.niwa.org/early-garden-closures)

• JFGM General Admission Required

The Kaga Traditional Craft Exhibition celebrates the rich sense of beauty, exceptional techniques, and enduring spirit rooted in the prosperous Kaga domain. The Kaga Clan held most of what is now Ishikawa and Toyama Prefectures during the Edo period. 

Generations of feudal lords from the Maeda Family who ruled the Kaga domain passionately supported a wide range of cultural activities. Notably, during the reigns of the third lord, Toshitsune, to the fifth lord, Tsunanori (1605-1724), significant efforts were made to promote culture. This period saw the flourishing of various crafts, contributing to the renowned *Kaga Hyakuman-goku culture.

Even today, traditional culture is deeply embedded in the lives of local residents. In Ishikawa Prefecture, which has preserved many historical cultural assets, 36 types of traditional arts and crafts continue to thrive as local industries. Among these are nationally designated traditional crafts such as Wajima lacquerware, Yamanaka lacquerware, Kutani ceramics, Kaga yuzen silk dyeing, and Kanazawa metal leaf. Ishikawa Prefecture is globally recognized as one of the largest production centers for traditional arts and crafts, showcasing its exceptional traditions and cultural heritage.

* Kaga Hyakuman-goku: Refers to the production of one million koku of rice, with one koku being a unit that measures the weight of rice. The Kaga domain produced 150 million kilograms of rice annually.

Location: Education Center (Upper Garden)

Hours: Access to the Education Center vary daily. Please contact education@niwa.org for the most up to date schedule.

In collaboration with World Bee Day hosted at JFGM on May 19, 2024, we present a community art exhibit highlighting bees! All 20 of the art featured focuses on the wonder of bees in a variety of mediums.

Beyond Form: Transient Echoes

Artist: Yumiko Glover

Location: Exhibit Hall (Hours subject to change during special events. Refer to niwa.org)

JFGM General Admission Fee:

• Adults $14.00

• Students, seniors (over 65) & Active-Duty Military (with valid I.D) $ 12.00

In the serene embrace of the Japanese Friendship Garden and Museum, "Beyond Form: Transient Echoes" invites you on a journey through the ephemeral essence of existence. Inspired by the timeless wisdom of Zen philosophy, Glover created site-specific paintings that echo the impermanence and transience inherent in both nature and the material world. 

Within this exhibition, you'll encounter version of koi fish rendered in abstract colors and glitch forms, nodding to the echoes of our contemporary culture within the traditional motifs of Japanese art. These depictions serve as reminders of the fluidity of time and the ever-changing nature of our surroundings. Drawing inspiration from the JFGM's karesansui rock garden, Glover’s paintings offer non-traditional aerial views, where the rocks seem to float in the cosmos, liberated from the constraints of physicality and gravity. Through these compositions, she aims to evoke a sense of timeless tranquility and the interconnectedness of all things. 

In Beyond Form: Transient Echoes, we explore the delicate interplay between impermanence and aesthetics, inviting contemplation of the profound connections that bind us to the natural world. 

BIO: 

Yumiko Glover’s artwork captures a range of inspirations drawn from her cross-cultural experiences, as well as the history and philosophy of Japan alongside contemporary scenes from the U.S. Glover’s work is part of collections at the Honolulu Museum of Art and has been exhibited at various public venues, including the Los Angeles International Airport, the Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design, the Torrance Art Museum, and in the United Nations’ anniversary publication in 2021. In 2023, Glover completed a mural project in NYC, held a solo exhibit at the Washington Studio School in Washington D.C., and exhibited at the Sullivan Goss Gallery in Santa Barbara. Originally from Japan, Glover received her BFA from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and her MFA from UC Santa Barbara. She is currently based in Los Angeles, where she teaches art courses at CSU Channel Islands and UC Santa Barbara. 

Website: yumikoglover.com 

Instagram: yumikoglover 

YouTube (NYC Mural Project in 2023): https://youtu.be/Yp3PYAthW-8?si=QZ5JJP2QlueYHFu

Location: JFGM Exhibit Hall

(Hours subject to change during special events)

• JFGM General Admission $14.00

• Students, Seniors (over 65) & Active-Duty Military (with valid I.D) $12.00

Boatloads of Mizuaoi 

 By Shintaro Araki

The paintings in this exhibition were borne out of the “Mizuaoi Project.”  Mr. Araki has been a member of this group project since 2017.

The Mizuaoi Project, initiated by a group of artists receiving a seed found in Fukushima from an artist, Shigenobu Yoshida, celebrates the “rebirth” of the nearly extinct Mizuaoi plant. Monochria korsakowii or Mizuaoi in Japanese is a genus of flowering plants in the Pontederiaceae, and is considered a weed species in Japan, and is always exterminated so as not to corrupt rice cultivation. 

Thought to have been eradicated throughout most the country, the Mizuaoi lay dormant until the Great East Japan Earthquake, on March 11, 2011, and tsunami, brought the Mizuaoi seed back to life and sparked a poetic Movement, spreading the Mizuaoi image as a symbol of hope, and regeneration throughout Japanese society.  Japan has just experienced another earthquake, on January first of this year.

Members of the Mizuaoi Project cultivate the plants in pots, metaphorically referred to as “Boats” and distribute their boats nationwide. Mr. Araki has expressed his relationship to the plant and the project in this way: “In this project, Mizuaoi has planted in the pots and displayed with paintings. Looking at the pots of Mizuaoi scattered all over Japan, I feel as if the Mizuaoi is an evangelist traveling in the boats telling the story of the earthquake and tsunami disaster to the people. I would like to portray this kind of image.”

Shintaro Araki, 2024

Sogetsu Ikebana Student Exhibit

Curated by Yumi Rakers

Location: Inamori Pavilion (Koi Deck Side)

Location: Exhibit Hall

Hours subject to change during special events (www.niwa.org/early-garden-closures)

The Japanese Friendship Garden and Museum is delighted to present an exclusive exhibition featuring the artistic legacy of Makoto Hoshina. A distinguished figure, Hoshina's artistic journey finds its place within the realm of "Realistic Modern Japanese Style Painting" (Nihonga) - Which seamlessly blends Western techniques with traditional Japanese-style and materials.

Hoshina's artistic technique stands employing Western-style methods, harnessing the power of traditional Japanese painting materials, specifically "Iwa-enogu" (mineral pigment) - a unique Japanese medium crafted from finely ground mineral-rich rocks. This fusion of mediums not only demonstrates his technical prowess, but also shows the influence of Western art in Japanese painting, thus perpetuating the legacy of an artist who skillfully navigated the intricate interplay between artistic heritage and contemporary expression.

For this exhibition, curated by Mr. Hoshina's daughter, Miyuki, a selection of paintings and a screen have been chosen from his expansive body of work.

Location: JFG Gift Shop (Inamori Pavilion)

Senbazuru literal translation is 1,000 Origami cranes. Folding a thousand origami cranes was more widely popularized in the poignant story of Sasaki Sadako.

Told in various forms this tale relates how two-year-old Sadako was exposed to dangerous levels of radiation during the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. She survived initially, but only to contract leukemia a few years later. She was inspired by the legend of the senbazuru and so began folding Origami cranes, presumably in the hope of being granted the wish of health on completion of one thousand. Sadako, sadly, did not succeed in her wish, however her inspiration leads many each year to fold colorful paper cranes and donate them in leis at shrines across Japan.

San Diego local artist, Christine Ott has been folding Origami for 7 years. She has always been interested in art and the creative process. She started folding Origami for fun, which quickly become her passion.

One of her latest projects was the folding of 1000 cranes to create an origami dress. This project allowed Christine to combine origami fashion and the meaning of the crane into a dress that can be worn and, hopefully, help bring awareness to issues faced by children. She feels that, if an art form can also give you a platform for raising awareness of issues important to you, if it can be shared through teaching and you can help others appreciate and experience the joy and meditative nature of the art of origami, then it will continue to be a passion. She loves teaching origami and is available for installations and corporate events. She is currently working on a Sustainable Wedding with The Valley Center Library for their annual flower show and folded hundreds of butterflies for their Bee and Butterfly Festival.

Exhibit Hall

Exhibition Hours: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm (Hours subject to change during special events. Refer to niwa.org)

The Japanese Friendship Garden is delighted to showcase Maurice Kawashima’s private collection. The exhibition is open to the public from March to June 2023. Maurice Kawashima is a passionate collector of fine and decorative arts. His interest in ceramics reaches beyond Wedgwood's Fairyland, both into masterworks from his homeland Japan and as far back as the 18th century with distinguished examples of Meissen.

 Maurice Kawashima was born in 1936 in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. He earned an associate degree in applied science from the Fashion Institute of Technology (part of the State University of New York/SUNY system), and a certificate from Parsons School of Design in New York. Immediately after graduating from Parsons, the Fashion Institute of Technology offered him a full-time teaching position, and across the years which followed he became the first Japanese-born person to be granted a full professorship with tenure at the institute. 

Alongside his teaching, Kawashima achieved distinction as chief designer for Daimaru Inc., in Japan; as a designer for Elizabeth Arden Sales Corp., in New York; and as an assistant designer for Pauline Trigere, in New York. In Japan, he established the Safari Line for Suzaya Company and established his own fashion company, Masaaki New York. He also authored several books, including the Fundamentals of Men’s Wear Fashion Design, Standard Text of Pattern Design, and Men’s Outerwear Design—Fundamentals of Pattern, and holds three patents for special measuring instruments used in the fashion industry. He became an avid art collector as well. He purchased his first two pieces — antique porcelain — while in Japan to deliver a lecture. Today he has some 23 collections, a variety that includes not only Japanese ceramics from the 8th century through the present, but English Fairyland porcelain of the 1920s, and English and American bronzes, among others.

The Japanese Friendship Garden is grateful to both Maurice Kawashima and Steve Knesz for sharing their priceless collection and support during the exhibit installation.

Sogetsu School of Ikebana Exhibit

January 28th and January 29th | 11:00am-4:00pm

Inamori Pavilion

Included with admission

Inamori Pavilion

11:00 am - 2:30 pm (Hours subject to change gift shop hours and during special events. Refer to niwa.org)

The Kimono Reimagined project is a collaboration between Visions Museum of Textile Arts (Liberty Station, San Diego) and San Diego Mesa College Fashion Program. Nineteen teams composed of a fashion student and a stitcher from the Visions Museum of Textile Arts community worked together to redesign and reconstruct kimonos, obis, haoris, and sashes to become a fashion garment. Each garment contains some element of stitchery and/or embellishment created by the stitcher using hand or machine techniques.

Shibori Dyeing with Indigo: February 3rd | 10:30am -1:30pm

Lower Garden Kitchen

Non member $70 / member $65

SOLD OUT

Study the fascinating world of Japanese Shibori (tie-dye) using one of the most elegant of natural dyes; Indigo. In this class, we will explore Indigo’s history and then, move into workshop mode to create a collection of samples. Using a variety of Shibori techniques, you will prepare and dye six unique table napkins, each employing a different shibori/tie-dye method. If time and our indigo bath permits, you may also prepare and dye a cotton t-shirt if you bring one (white or light color works best).

The workshop cost includes a kit of supplies (including the cotton napkins). We do ask that you bring scissors for cutting threads, plus a seam ripper or embroidery scissors if you have them to assist with unstitching/unbinding process. 

Inamori Pavilion Hours: 11:00 am to 4:30 pm

(Hours subject to change gift shop hours and during special events. Refer to niwa.org)

JFG General Admission Fee: Adults $14.00, Students, seniors (over 65) & Active-Duty Military (with valid I.D) $ 12.00

Hiroyuki Matsui gallery talk and tea demonstration

• November 19th: 12:00pm-1:00pm and 1:30pm – 2:30pm

• November 20th: 12:00pm-1:00pm and 1:30pm – 2:30pm

• Tea tasting ticket $5 + admission (10 person each session)

We are pleased to announce "Yoh no Bi ; Hiroyuki Matsui, Bizen Pottery," a pop-up pottery exhibit at the Japanese Friendship Garden in San Diego. The exhibition will run from November 15th through November 21st. The Japanese Bizen potter Hiroyuki Matsui will be on hand to give a gallery talks.

Matsui's career as a Bizen Pottery artist began in April 2000, when he spent one year at the Bizen Pottery Center learning the basics of Bizen Pottery. After graduation, he went to the door of Master Tougyaku Mori, who is trying to revive the old Bizen of the Momoyama Period (1573-1615). Fortunately, he was allowed to become an apprentice at the kiln and graduated from the kiln in 2006, and spent another 10 years working on the large kiln project. The project took 27 long years, but was successfully completed in 2015.

At the same time, he also built his own kiln, 20 meters long, which he fired for the first time in 2008. Matsui has been firing the kiln once a year since. In his private kiln, he mainly fires small household items. As it is important for making practical and beautiful potteries based on Japanese philosophy of “Yoh no bi” It means beautiful and practical. His works has been exhibited both in Japan and overseas.

Hiroyuki Matsui HP http://bizen-matsui.com/

Hiroyuki Matsui gallery talk and tea demonstration

Click to register!

November 19th: 12:00pm-1:00pm

November 19th: 1:30pm-2:30pm

November 20th: 12:00pm-1:00pm

November 20th: 1:30pm-2:30pm

The Japanese Friendship Garden (JFG) presents an exhibition of Japanese multimedia by Osaka born artist Junko Iwasa.

Location: Upper Garden Exhibit Hall

(Hours subject to change during special events. Refer to niwa.org)

Junko Iwasa Gallery Talk

November 11th: 1:00pm-1:30pm (Include with admission)

Junko Iwasa

“Enso, (circular form) is a Zen calligraphic form that symbolically expresses enlightenment, truth, and spiritual fulfillment as a round shape that represents eternity, a continuum without beginning or end. I was inspired by the sensibility of those who believed that the universe was a circular system, I use a variety of materials to express the all-encompassing power, peace, abundance, gentleness, and softness of the circle.

When I first started working, I was fascinated by the textures and graffiti on the walls of New York City, and I painted aspects of those walls in traditional Japanese painting. Later, I developed the technique of matiere (expression of materials) and began to pursue the expression of the receptiveness and warmth of nature by handcrafted paper, pulp, and wood powder, and coloring with ink, shell powder, rock paint, acrylic paint, gold and silver leaf, and other materials.

The works, composed of small pieces of different sizes, shapes, and materials, each have their own individuality, but when gathered together, they create harmony by respecting each other. I hope that this is also true of the complex social structures and living environments that surround us!”

KOKORO NO KATACHI | Image of the Heart 

Kimiko Koyanagi and Michiko Stone 

July 29, 2022–October 30, 2022 

Exhibition Hall ( Upper Garden )  

Exhibition Hours: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm (7/29-9/4/2022) ,10:00 am to 5:00 pm (9/5-10/30/2022)

(Hours subject to change during special events. Refer to niwa.org) 

The Japanese Friendship Garden presents an exhibition: KOKORO NO KATACHI | Image of the  Heart, which introduces two Japanese artist sisters, Kimiko Koyanagi and Michiko Stone. The two  artists present a series of contemporary dolls, continuing a dialogue with traditional Japanese  doll-making while exploring their own modern expressions. From the Muraoka family of Tokyo,  Japan, the sisters are third-generation ningyo doll-makers. Kimiko recently moved to Los Angeles  and will be exhibiting her work for the first time in San Diego, alongside her sister Michiko, who is  a La Jolla resident. 

Kimiko Koyanagi is a Japanese-Canadian artist who has been utilizing her family’s traditional  doll-making techniques for over sixty years, while creating and developing her own distinct and  singular, sculptural figures. Deep emotion and Kimiko’s philosophical meaning are instilled in the  contemporary expressions of her work. A lifelong artist, Kimiko has exhibited globally in Tokyo,  Vancouver, Toronto, Mexico City, New York and Los Angeles. 

Michiko Stone is a Japanese artist who spent twenty years living in Malaysia, and the last thirty five years in the United States. She uses her family’s traditional doll-making techniques, but with her own unique interpretation to create poetic and expressive sculptural figurines. Her artwork  has been exhibited in Japan, Malaysia, Canada, and the United States along with work by her  sister Kimiko and the Muraoka family.

kimikokoyanagi.com

Presented by: OneHouse Arts

Location: Upper Garden Courtyard

Date: 7/13/2022- 7/25/2022

The sun is out! The weather’s getting warmer! What a perfect day to take a shady summer stroll through the Japanese Friendship Garden. Take a look on the upside, and you’ll find over 80 umbrellas painted by young artists from ages 4 to 10!

From mid- to late-July, catch the terraced greenery of the Main Courtyard in bloom with petals of papaya orange, minty teal, pineapple yellow, lime green, dragon fruit pink and cornflower blue. This season, OneHouse Arts students have chosen the most delicious slices of the color wheel to mix and paint onto wagasas, or Japanese paper parasols. Inspired by designs found in their favorite plants and animals, artists use bold strokes, dots, patches and lines to create rhythmic and radial patterns. Each child presents a different idea of how to stay cool this summer, and together, their umbrellas form a cascade of creativity to complement the spectacles surrounding them. Sit patiently, and the garden may dance and spin its umbrellas for you.

OneHouse Arts is an experimental art school and philosophy dedicated to helping children discover art on their own by asking questions about their ideas, introducing them to various methods, staying open to their artistic inclinations, providing them with space to create, and giving their art a place in the world at large.

May 5, 2022 –July 23,2022

Exhibit Hall (Upper Garden)

Exhibition Hours: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

(Hours subject to change during special events. Refer to niwa.org)

The Japanese Friendship Garden is honored to presents “The Legacy of Traditional Calligraphy”, curated by Befu Osawa who is a Master Calligrapher based in San Diego, CA.

Befu Osawa is a part of “Nihon Shodo Kenkyu Kai (Shoken)” which is one of the representative Shodo schools in Japan, where she studied traditional calligraphy writing. At Shoken, she studied and researched the history of Chinese/Japanese scripts. After moving to the United States, she researched modern scripts and taught beautiful calligraphy writing to a diverse range of students.

This exhibition will introduce the changes and history of Chinese and Japanese scripts. It will also show various style of Kanji letters that we do not usually see.

February 10, 2022 – May 1,2022

Exhibition Hall Hours: 10:00 am – 5:30 pm 

(Hours subject to change during special events. Refer to niwa.org)

JFG General Admission Fee: Adults $12.00, Students, seniors (over 65) & 

Active-Duty Military (with valid I.D) $ 10.00

The Japanese Friendship Garden is honored to presents “Moisture and Light –Landscape in the memory”, the exhibition by Shuichi Hashimoto, an artist and graphic designer based in Osaka, Japan. His digital illustration has created a landscape from his memory with the theme of "Moisture and Light.” He used digital illustration to create a landscape that changes color and aspect depending on light and water, this is applied on a vertical screen like a hanging scroll. 

Hashimoto believes that the persistent rain combined with the humid environment influenced the diverse culture of Japan. He has walked the mountains and valleys many times in search of the diverse landscapes created by moisture and light. Many people in Japan don't like the humidity in the summer, but he thought that people in San Diego would find the scenery created by "Moisture and Light” refreshing.

Inamori Pavilion | 11:00am – 4:00pm

*1/30 closed 3:00pm

 The Sogetsu Ikebana Club has been holding classes at JFG for the past 10 years at JFG and we’re thrilled to announce their upcoming exhibition! This student showcase will be on display in the Inamori Pavilion for one weekend only and feature the styles. instructor Yumi Rakers teaches.

Entrance to the exhibit is free with JFG admission. Inquiries can be e-mailed to registrar@niwa.org.