KUBOTA GARDEN, from Page 8

his garden. Kubota, a 1907 emigrant, established the Kubota Gardening Co. in 1923. He wanted to display the beauty of the Northwest in a Japanese manner and soon designed and installed gardens throughout Seattle. The gardens on the Seattle University campus and the Japanese Garden at the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island are other public examples of his work.

Kubota’s landscaping business was successful, and the Rainier Beach garden grew to include 20 acres. For several years, it was a center of social and cultural activities for the Japanese community in Seattle.

In 1981, the American-Japanese garden created by Kubota was declared to be a historical landmark in Seattle. In 1987, the City of Seattle acquired the garden from the Kubota family. It is now run and maintained by the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation.

For more information about Mary Magenta’s work, visit her website at www.marymagenta.com.