6996 Ontario Rd.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93405
Ph. 805 595-2625
San Luis Obispo, CA 93405
Ph. 805 595-2625
OKAZU by Gary Hongo
That the cherry blossoms have fallen from the trees lining our driveway reminding us of the impermanence of all living things, we cherish the beauty they have created if only for a fleeting moment.
San Luis Obispo Buddhist Church (SLOBC) recently lost a former member who created beauty in designing and building Japanese gardens. Kodo Matsubara was born on March 22, 1919 in a Buddhist temple in Tokyo, Japan and received formal training as a landscape architect at a university in that area. In 1947, Mr. Matsubara decided to use his skills in the United States and landed in San Francisco but soon headed south to Fresno where a Dr. Taida, his cousin lived. With the help of Dr. Taida’s wife who acted as a translator, Kodo soon began building gardens for residents of Fresno. In 1972, he assisted in the creation of the Shinzen Garden, a part of Woodward Park in Fresno. While Paul Saito was the primary landscape architect and Shiro Nakagawa designed the tea house, Mr. Matsubara created the Mill Stone, a decorative pathway before the gate to the garden’s entrance. The Mill Stone is typical of Japanese gardens and his design for the Shinzen Garden reflected Fresno’s long and steeped association with agriculture.
About 20 years ago, Kodo Matsubara relocated to Arroyo Grande with the intention of retiring. He moved into a house around the corner from Kiyoshi Sakurai whom he met in Fresno and who became his good friend and translator. Mr. Matsubara designed and directed the construction of Eto Park in San Luis Obispo in memory of Tameji Eto, a Japanese American pioneer and influential figure in San Luis Obispo County’s history. With the help of Jim Brabeck of the SLO Rotary Club who spearheaded its creation, Eto Park was dedicated on May 9, 2002. As he had done for the Fresno Betsuin (head church/temple for a Buddhist Churches of America district), Mr. Matsubara donated Japanese cherry trees toSLOBC, the ones that you see on the left of our driveway near the entrance. So every April when we admire the beauty of the Japanese cherry trees that are in full bloom, we can thank Kodo Matsubara for his gift to SLOBC.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could extend that row of Japanese cherry trees to the front gate? Can you imagine the additional beauty it would create? However, getting Japanese cherry trees is a difficult task since nurseries located out of state cannot ship them to California. If you know of a source for these trees, please let me know by email shongo@surewest.net.
San Luis Obispo Buddhist Church (SLOBC) recently lost a former member who created beauty in designing and building Japanese gardens. Kodo Matsubara was born on March 22, 1919 in a Buddhist temple in Tokyo, Japan and received formal training as a landscape architect at a university in that area. In 1947, Mr. Matsubara decided to use his skills in the United States and landed in San Francisco but soon headed south to Fresno where a Dr. Taida, his cousin lived. With the help of Dr. Taida’s wife who acted as a translator, Kodo soon began building gardens for residents of Fresno. In 1972, he assisted in the creation of the Shinzen Garden, a part of Woodward Park in Fresno. While Paul Saito was the primary landscape architect and Shiro Nakagawa designed the tea house, Mr. Matsubara created the Mill Stone, a decorative pathway before the gate to the garden’s entrance. The Mill Stone is typical of Japanese gardens and his design for the Shinzen Garden reflected Fresno’s long and steeped association with agriculture.
About 20 years ago, Kodo Matsubara relocated to Arroyo Grande with the intention of retiring. He moved into a house around the corner from Kiyoshi Sakurai whom he met in Fresno and who became his good friend and translator. Mr. Matsubara designed and directed the construction of Eto Park in San Luis Obispo in memory of Tameji Eto, a Japanese American pioneer and influential figure in San Luis Obispo County’s history. With the help of Jim Brabeck of the SLO Rotary Club who spearheaded its creation, Eto Park was dedicated on May 9, 2002. As he had done for the Fresno Betsuin (head church/temple for a Buddhist Churches of America district), Mr. Matsubara donated Japanese cherry trees toSLOBC, the ones that you see on the left of our driveway near the entrance. So every April when we admire the beauty of the Japanese cherry trees that are in full bloom, we can thank Kodo Matsubara for his gift to SLOBC.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could extend that row of Japanese cherry trees to the front gate? Can you imagine the additional beauty it would create? However, getting Japanese cherry trees is a difficult task since nurseries located out of state cannot ship them to California. If you know of a source for these trees, please let me know by email shongo@surewest.net.
A Master Creator
Extending the Legacy