1: The Entry Gate of Garden

Please click on 'About the Garden' for public hours.

The entry gate with its tiled roof was inspired by a gate in Kyoto, Japan, a city of many beautiful gardens. Below, a large Kasuga stone lantern is set against a backdrop of Japanese black pines. This artifact was imported from Japan. Historically the lanterns were used for illumination purposes, but now they are only used as ornaments to the garden. Generally, the lanterns are sculpted to abstractly depict certain animals. This one depicts a deer with a horn and hoof motif. The mid section resembles the tail and face while the top of the lantern has a Giboshi fertility symbol which is very prominent in Asian culture.

Just inside the gate are two Koma-Inu or "Lion Dogs". They are mythological animals and are posted at the gate to ward off evil spirits. Some believe that they are here to keep the balance of the garden. This entails keeping away both good and bad spirits for the purpose of maintaining the garden. If they were to scare away only evil spirits, then the garden would be a virtual paradise and unfortunately, there is no paradise on earth. One is speaking and one is listening. Two is an even number but each one of these animals is counted individually to maintain the odd number theme of the garden.