日本庭園講演会でのスピーチ 2006年9月29日在ヒューストン日本国総領事 加茂佳彦
Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen:
It is always my privilege to welcome my guests here to the residence when I host a function and I will follow that practice again today by sharing my thoughts with you on Japanese gardens.
Our lecturers today are very special and renowned landscape designers from Japan.Mr. Nakai and Mr. Tanaka are going to lecture you on Japanese gardens so I don’t want to overlap my remarks with what the experts will educate you on, and I look forward to their presentation very much.However I can give you a layman’s account of what constitutes a Japanese garden, if you will allow me.The vocabulary used when referring to Japanese gardens is very unique and ideally epitomizes what can be termed as “Japanese-ness:”nature, harmony, tranquility, simplicity, oc-existence, accommodation, to name a few.
After I finish my remarks, you are going to be given a full account of the backgrounds of today’s speakers, Mr. Nakai and Mr. Tanaka by J.J. Naoki.Here again, I am not supposed to duplicate what he is going to say.Yes, they have come to Houston to give this lecture this evening, but they also have another mission. They have visited Houston to help us maintain and improve the JapaneseGarden in HermannPark.I very much appreciate their willingness to share their professional insight and expertise with us so that the beautiful Japanese garden in Hermann park can be even more beautiful and enjoyable. They have already spent some time there appraising the current condition of the garden.
What does the Japanese garden in HermannPark mean to us?To the Japanese community in Houston it is our signature, a source of our pride and aspirations.It reflects time-honored Japanese values and concepts by which we affirm our identity.The garden has been the venue for the Japan Festival every April for more than a decade.
Having said that the garden is very special to the Houston Japanese community, it is also a gem for all Houstonians.If Houston is famous for its openness, inclusiveness, diversity, harmony and peaceful co-existence, these attributes can also be most readily found in the Japanese garden in Hermann Park.
When I was visited by our two lecturers this morning at the consulate, I heard a wonderful story from Mr. Nakai about their visit to HermannPark.While in the garden he met a man who was feeding the carp in the koi pond popcorn.Mr. Nakai asked where the gentleman was from and he replied that he is a cancer patient from Greece.He said that he enjoyed watching the koi as they swam with their graceful movements in the midst of the tranquility of the setting.Perhaps he regained his peace of mind while he was watching the koi.
I see some medical doctors in the audience tonight and I urge them to encourage more patients to visit the Japanese garden for healing and relaxing.The garden is just around the corner from the world famous TexasMedicalCenter.The Japanese garden is meant for all, even those from far beyond Houston.
Koi are very special to the Japanese and the Japanese culture as some of you might know.The koi is famous for its beautiful coloring and graceful shape, of course.But there is also a symbolism pertaining to the koi.It symbolizes longevity, vitality and bravery.Koi can swim against rapid currents in streams and even swim up waterfalls.When caught and put on a cutting board, however, it does not move or writhe, but remains still, as if accepting his fate to be cut open.This attitude is likened to the Samurai spirit and is praised by Japanese as bravery and honor.
Well, I think I have deviated a little too far from the subject of Japanese gardens.I would like to conclude my remarks by thanking every one concerned with maintaining the Japanese garden in HermannPark and especially those who are making plans to improve the garden for their excellent efforts.
Thank you.