The Huntington Japanese Garden is located within the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California. Originally created in 1912 by railroad magnate Henry E. Huntington, it was one of the first Japanese gardens established on a large estate in Southern California.
Website: https://www.huntington.org/botanical-gardens/themed-gardens/japanese-garden
The garden features a traditional Japanese House, a ceremonial teahouse, a moon bridge, a koi-filled pond, a Zen court, a bonsai collection, and beautifully designed landscapes that reflect both the early twentieth-century American fascination with Japanese culture and the enduring principles of Japanese garden design. It is widely regarded as one of the finest and most authentic Japanese gardens in North America. Since much has already been written about its history, I will focus on my own impressions.
The formal entrance is approached from the nearby Rose Garden and offers only a glimpse of the expansive landscape that lies beyond. Almost immediately, visitors encounter steeply sloping terrain, a design inspired by the concept of shinzan-yūkoku ("deep mountains and secluded valleys"). Rather than reshaping the land into a level landscape, the designers embraced the natural topography to create varied viewpoints, borrowed scenery, and a gently flowing stream that feeds a series of ponds. The result is a landscape that feels both natural and secluded.
One of the first features to catch my attention was the large bronze temple bell, purchased by Henry E. Huntington in 1914 and shipped from Japan. Although bells of this type are traditionally associated with Buddhist temples rather than gardens, its presence here serves as a reminder of the close relationship between Japanese temples and their surrounding landscapes.
The central Japanese House, also imported from Japan in 1914, is considered one of the finest surviving examples of early twentieth-century Japanese residential architecture in North America. While unmistakably Japanese in character, it also reflects subtle California influences.
Spanning the central pond is the impressive wooden drum bridge (taiko-bashi), whose graceful arch recalls the famous Rainbow Bridge of China. Originally painted bright red in keeping with the American interpretation of Asian architecture during the era of Japonism, the bridge was stripped of its paint in 1992, allowing the wood to weather naturally to a soft gray that better complements the surrounding landscape.
Throughout the garden are beautifully maintained specimens of Chinese juniper (Juniperus chinensis), carefully pruned to create the mature, timeless character so often associated with Japanese gardens.
Lanterns, pagodas, and other ornamental features appear only occasionally, allowing the landscape itself to remain the garden's primary focus.
The Zen Court, added in 1968, features an expansive karesansui (dry landscape) garden that provides a peaceful setting for quiet reflection. I was intrigued by the relatively sparse placement of stones and the way they were grouped. It differed from many of the dry gardens I had seen in Japan, but perhaps that was intentional, encouraging visitors to discover their own meaning rather than presenting an obvious interpretation.
I was equally fascinated by the geometry of the courtyard gate. The proportions, materials, colors, and craftsmanship elevated it beyond a simple architectural structure, making it a beautiful works of art in its own right.
A secluded roji (tea garden) provides a more contemplative setting. It should be noted that this area is not always open to the public, but reserved for guests of the teahouse. The pathway leading towards the teahouse has a traditional koshikake machiai, or waiting arbor, where guests would traditionally pause before being invited into the teahouse.
The teahouse, Seifu-an ("Arbor of Pure Breeze"), was originally constructed in Japan in 1964 and donated to the Huntington in 2010. It was carefully dismantled, returned to Japan for restoration, and then reassembled in its present location. Although it is rarely open to the public, it can still be admired from the surrounding pathways.
Several other hidden gems also caught my attention, including Buddhist statuary and the beautifully crafted roof tiles of the recently installed Japanese Heritage Shōya House.
Overall, the Huntington Japanese Garden is a destination that should not be missed. It is both a historically significant landscape and one of the finest examples of Japanese garden design in North America. Plan to spend a full day exploring its winding paths and hidden corners—you will almost certainly leave wishing you had more time.
