Seiwa-en is a Japanese strolling garden located in the

Missouri Botanical Garden The Missouri Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located at 4344 Shaw Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri. It is also known informally as Shaw's Garden for founder and philanthropist Henry Shaw. Its herbarium, with more than 6.6 million ...

, St Louis, Missouri, in the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

. At 5 ha (14 acres), it is the largest such garden in North America. It features a large lake, modest traditional buildings, bridges, islands, carp, dry gravel landscaping, and other symbolic features. Planning for the garden began in 1972, and it was dedicated in May 1977. Seiwa-en was designed by Dr. Koichi Kawana, a professor of Japanese architecture and

landscape design Landscape design is an independent profession and a design and art tradition, practiced by landscape designers, combining nature and culture. In contemporary practice, landscape design bridges the space between landscape architecture and gard ...

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

. He was originally from

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The lar ...

island in northern Japan and taught

ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It is also known as . The tradition dates back to Heian period, when floral offerings were made at altars. Later, flower arrangements were instead used to adorn the (alcove) of a traditional Japan ...

, a Japanese style of flower arangment in his spare time. Dr. Kawana was a pioneer in the design of traditional Japanese gardens that integrate local or native plants into the garden's structure. He designed more than one dozen Japanese style gardens in America after becoming a

US citizen Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...

in 1971; Seiwa-en is his largest work. The garden contains a Japanese maple tree planted as a gift to the garden by the

Emperor of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his position is derived from "the ...

on a visit to St. Louis. There are also Japanese cherry trees planted near the garden's entrance that bloom in spring.

External links

The Japanese Garden
Asian-American culture in Missouri Missouri Botanical Garden Botanical gardens in Missouri Japanese strolling gardens Japanese gardens in the United States {{StLouis-geo-stub