Welcome to Seiwa-en, the “Garden of pure, clear harmony and peace.” One of the largest traditional Japanese gardens in North America, Seiwa-en covers 14 acres, including a 4-acre lake. Modeled on the chisen kaiyu-shiki, or “wet strolling garden,” a style developed by wealthy landowners of the late Edo period in 19th century Japan, Seiwa-en incorporates many principles of Japanese aesthetics drawn from Zen Buddhism, such as suggestion, naturalness, and asymmetry.

Download Map of the Garden

Water resides in every Japanese garden actually or symbolically. In Seiwa-en, the lake is the main water feature, complemented by waterfalls, streams, and water-filled basins. The dry gravel gardens symbolize islands surrounded by the sea. Caretakers frequently rake the dry gardens, changing the patterns in the gravel to look as if wind has rippled the surface of the water.

Four islands rise from the lake. Tortoise Island and Crane Island take the names of symbols of longevity in Japanese lore. Paradise Island (Horai-zan), formed by three large stones, is the symbolic center of the garden, representing everlasting happiness and immortality.

Teahouse Island features a soan, or “farm hut” teahouse, built in Japan and reassembled here by Japanese craftsmen, a gift of the state of Nagano. It is a sacred site, blessed by Shinto ritual, and closed to the public except during the tea ceremonies offered during the Japanese Festival.

Designed by the late professor Koichi Kawana, a renowned professor of environmental design and landscape architecture at the University of California–Los Angeles, Seiwa-en was dedicated in 1977.