Shinzen emerged in the era of sister-city gardens, following World War II, with the building of Japanese gardens to forge friendships and to recognize the significant role of early Japanese immigrants and citizens in the founding and development of our community. An early connection with the Fresno Sister City Kochi, Japan, provided a pivotal link to further identify the importance of friendship and international brotherhood in creating this notable feature for Fresno, California.
The initial development of a Japanese garden was envisioned in 1967, and the donation of land by Ralph Woodward to establish Woodward Park helped launch the establishment of the Woodward Park Japanese Development Committee led by Ben Nakamura. Design work was started by Kodo Matsubara and was added to by Paul Saito and Shiro Nakagawa. The City of Fresno was also a key participant in the design and development—funding for the Garden combined individual, community, and city support.
The incorporation and dedication of the Garden occurred in 1981, and a Board of Trustees, now Directors, which serves as the non-profit that, in partnership with the City, oversees the maintenance and management of the services and programs of the Garden.
The Garden provides cultural and educational events for the community with a Fall Festival, Spring Blossom Festival, Toro Nagashi Lantern Event, workshops, and classes in aesthetic pruning and the art and culture of Japan. With the renovation and renewal of the Tea Garden and Tea House, Shinzen will offer opportunities for visitors to learn more about the significance of tea ceremonies and tea houses to the Japanese.
The Clark Bonsai Collection opened in the fall of 2015 and added a major new display area to Shinzen. This notable collection of over 100 special bonsai has enriched the experience and learning for many who visit Shinzen. Serving as a “living museum” of the art of bonsai, the Collection offers lectures, training, and workshops to share and advance this unique art form.
Clark Bonsai Collection
The arrival of each new season is acknowledged and celebrated in Japanese culture. This sensitivity to seasonal change is essential to Shinto, Japan!s native belief system, which has focused on the earth’s cycles. Similarly, seasonal references are everywhere in the Japanese literary and visual arts. A distinctive Japanese artistic convention is to depict a single environment transitioning from spring to summer to autumn to winter in one work. In this way, Japanese painters and poets expressed their fondness for this natural cycle and also captured an awareness of the inevitability of change, a fundamental Buddhist concept.
This tradition expresses the confluence of Shinto and Buddhism by using seasonal references. Shiro Nakagawa acknowledged this tradition when he suggested the four seasons concept to Paul Saito, Shinzen Friendship Garden’s original landscape architect. He was inspired by the 15th-century Japanese artist Sesshū Tōyō, famous for his 50-foot-long hand scroll, taking the viewer on a journey through the four seasons. Junk Removal Fresno
After the fall color display has passed, bonsai show us another image entirely: the Winter Silhouette. When deciduous bonsai have shed all their leaves, we see the artistic skill that formed the tree’s structure. Only then can we fully appreciate the angularity and refinement of the branch structure. This is like the study of architecture or anatomy. Some bonsai exhibits are exclusively devoted to showing the trees in their Winter Silhouette, particularly to appreciate the patience and skill required to develop a beautiful “skeleton.”
This exhibition will also feature winter blooming bonsai, including camellia and Ume (flowering apricot also known as plum blossom). At the end of the exhibition, the final seasonal image occurs when the bright green or red leaf buds of early spring emerge on the bare branches, bringing the journey of the season full circle. This dynamic exhibition is worth revisiting a few times between October 26 and February 25 to fully appreciate the changing displays of the deciduous bonsai as they transform through the seasons.
Address: 114 W Audubon Dr, Fresno, CA
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