Consul General and Mrs. Murabayashi attend the unveiling ceremony of a stone monument at Japanese garden
2024/3/20
On February 16, Consul General Murabayashi and his wife attended the unveiling ceremony of a memorial stone monument at the Japanese Garden in Hermann Park at the invitation of the Hermann Park Conservancy.
At the ceremony Consul General Murabayashi offered his congratulations for the completion of the memorial stone monument which was fittingly inscribed with characters designed by Kunio Minami. He explained that Mr. Minami served as former Chair of the Japanese Garden Advisory Committee of the Hermann Park Conservancy and was awarded a Japanese Imperial Decoration in spring 2022 for his contributions to Japan over many years through the management, renovation, and expansion of the Japanese Garden.
Next, former Chair of the Japanese Garden Advisory Committee of the Hermann Park Conservancy Kunio Minami gave remarks. He explained that the Japanese Garden opened strongly in 1992 after a groundbreaking ceremony in 1991 in the presence of His Imperial Highness Prince Akishino and the donation of the Azumaya (tea house) by the Japanese government, but the Japanese style of the garden began fading over the years. In 2003, the Japanese Association of Greater Houston was established with Mr. Minami as the vice president, and he decided to take action to maintain an authentic Japanese garden in Houston by inviting a garden designer and master gardener from Japan, which resulted in the revival of garden’s Japanese character. He concluded by sharing his joy of seeing the completion of the South Gate in 2020, and the unveiling of the memorial stone monument on that day.
In closing, Doreen Stoller, Executive Director of the Hermann Park Conservancy, expressed her appreciation to Kunio Minami for his many years of service in the Chair's position and as an interpreter for the Japanese Garden gardeners.
At the ceremony Consul General Murabayashi offered his congratulations for the completion of the memorial stone monument which was fittingly inscribed with characters designed by Kunio Minami. He explained that Mr. Minami served as former Chair of the Japanese Garden Advisory Committee of the Hermann Park Conservancy and was awarded a Japanese Imperial Decoration in spring 2022 for his contributions to Japan over many years through the management, renovation, and expansion of the Japanese Garden.
Next, former Chair of the Japanese Garden Advisory Committee of the Hermann Park Conservancy Kunio Minami gave remarks. He explained that the Japanese Garden opened strongly in 1992 after a groundbreaking ceremony in 1991 in the presence of His Imperial Highness Prince Akishino and the donation of the Azumaya (tea house) by the Japanese government, but the Japanese style of the garden began fading over the years. In 2003, the Japanese Association of Greater Houston was established with Mr. Minami as the vice president, and he decided to take action to maintain an authentic Japanese garden in Houston by inviting a garden designer and master gardener from Japan, which resulted in the revival of garden’s Japanese character. He concluded by sharing his joy of seeing the completion of the South Gate in 2020, and the unveiling of the memorial stone monument on that day.
In closing, Doreen Stoller, Executive Director of the Hermann Park Conservancy, expressed her appreciation to Kunio Minami for his many years of service in the Chair's position and as an interpreter for the Japanese Garden gardeners.