Takata Garden Tea House Opening Ceremony at Glendale Gardens & Woodland

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Saturday, June 21st, 2008
11:00 AM to 3:00 PM

On Saturday June 21st at Glendale Gardens & Woodland there will be a ceremony to open the Takata Garden Tea House. This structure, recently completed, is an authentic construction of a traditional tea house and will receive the blessing of Zen Master Eshin melody Cornell. Designed and constructed by William Andringa, this is a much welcomed addition to this unique Japanese styled garden named for the Takata family of Victoria, who built and operated a Japanese garden in the Gorge Park from 1907 to 1942.

Eshin Melody will also bless the two 100-year old Japanese maples that were transplanted into the Takata Garden in the early spring. These spectacular Split-leaf Japanese maples were recently donated to the garden. The trees came from the original Takata garden on the Gorge waterway and are a living reminder of that beautiful, long- gone garden. The trees were imported from Japan in the early 1900s. In the early 1940s, as the conditions of the coming internment became known, the Takata family sought to ensure the survival of treasured garden plants and looked to the Victoria garden community. The trees were transplanted to the site of a Japanese styled home in Langford and were donated once again, to ensure their survival.

The tea house will complete the picture created in the Takata by its co-designer and curator, Bob Clarke. A waiting bench sits to the side and is where one would wait to be invited into the teahouse to partake of the ritual ceremony.

This day at Glendale will celebrate all things Japanese; Satomi Edwards will play the koto, the Furusato dancers will dance and the Uminari Taiko drummers will play. There will be tea ceremonies, the Silk Road Tea Company will have tea tastings and there will be a display and sale of bonsai. Refreshments will be available.

Bob hopes to raise the remaining funds needed for a complete renovation of the lower pond of the Takata Garden, now over-looked by the new tea house. The plans for this spectacular vision will be available for view and it is hoped the work can begin before the end of the summer.

The public is welcome to come from 11am to 3:30 pm on June 21st.
Free parking will be available and entry into the garden will be by donation.