「清和園」物語
前書き
５０年以上も前のことなので、今とは全く違った時代でした。そして、いまさら戦争の悲惨さを説くつもりはありませんが、ここに登場する学生さん達は、明らかにその時代の犠牲者の一部と言えるでしょう。戦争が始まりヨーロッパが戦場となると日系２世の人達は進んで従軍しました。ある意味では自分たちのアイデンティティの確認だったのかもしれません。前線で彼らは勇敢に戦いました。しかし、戦いが終わって、その彼らが本当にやっとの思いで帰ってきた祖国は想像以上に冷たく彼らを迎えたのです。家や土地は政府によって二束三文で売り払われ、家族は収容所の中でした。
何も無い、総ての財産を無くした彼らの中で、幸運にも学才のあった人たちは大学に進むことを目指しました。財産を無くした彼らが大学に進むには多くの場合、学びながら働くことが必要でしたから、どれだけの決意が必要だったのか、今の私には想像もできません。しかし、その決意さえも祖国は冷たく扱ったのです。これはそんな彼らの努力と感謝の話です。
本文以降は日本人会の渋沢さんのご協力を得て掲載することができました。資料を集め、確認を取り、掲載許可を取り付けてくださった渋沢さんに感謝いたします。
ヒロ
本文
2001年）で25周年を迎えます。戦後も日系アメリカ人への明らかな差別はなかなか消えなかった。大学の入学もその一つでした。ヨーロッパの戦場で多数の犠牲者を出しながら赫々たる武勲を立てた日系の青年達を受け入れてくれる大学は全米広しと言えど非常に少なかったのです。そんな時代にミズーリ州のワシントン大学、セントルイス大学など、セントルイスのいくつかの大学は日系アメリカ人を受け入れてくれました。そのため、カリフォルニアを始めとして全米各地から有意の日系二世達が集まってきました。そして、卒業時にも自分たちの地元に残っていた差別によって職を得ることは難しく、幸いにもセントルイスは比較的職を得ることが可能だったこともあり、卒業後も多くの学生が家族を呼び寄せ、セントルイスに留まったのです。そう、大学の様に、セントルイスの社会は彼らを差別せずに受け入れてくれたのです。
この厳しい時代の｢セントルイスの友情｣を忘れなかった日系アメリカ人有志は、功なり自分たちの人生を振り返る余裕ができたとき、その「お礼のしるし」に、市民の憩いの場所となる、ささやかな日本庭園を市に寄贈することに決めました。約３０年も前の話です。集めたお金は当時で５千ドル。その後、紆余曲折はあったようですが、結果は全米でも有名なミズーリ植物園に、その園長のピーター･レーバン博士の後押しで、始めの計画より遥かに大きな（１２エーカー：１５万坪）且つ一流の日本庭園「清和園」の誕生となりました。そして、１９９４年６月には天皇、皇后両陛下がアメリカ後訪問の折りにセントルイスにお立ち寄りになり、記念の紅葉を植樹されました。
この庭園があるため、ミズーリ植物園では毎年日本祭が大々的に開かれます。これは９月の始めのレイバーディの連休３日間に渡って開かれますが、毎年３万人から５万人もの入場者を誇る、セントルイス最大行事の一つとして年ごとに知名度が高まっており、他の州からの訪問者も増えています。日本人とアメリカ人の有志からなる委員会とミズーリ植物園が共同して準備・運営に当たっていますが、ここには清和園の「こころ」が生きていると言えましょう。
私は、長いアメリカ生活で、日系アメリカ人が「お礼」をした市の話など聞いたことは無かったので、清和園の所以はアメリカは広く、色々な土地柄があることを示す話として、心に残ります。広々とした敷地に大きな池と（茶室のある）小島を中心に樹木や滝、流れや小道が美しく配置された心の和む、北米でも一二を争うこの名庭園は、今や毎年何万人もの人が訪れる憩いの場所、日本祭も今年（
渋沢記：（ヒロ加筆修正）
清和園20周年時のスピーチ原稿
“Garden of Pure, Clear Harmony and Peace”
How fortunate and honored we are to have the Emperor and Empress of Japan take a moment from their busy schedule to rest and revitalize their spirits in the beautiful, quiet atmosphere of the Japanese garden in St. Louis. May the tree you plant today grow and symbolically strengthen the harmonious relationship between between Japan and the United States.
Seiwa-En was inspired by the members of the St. Louis chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League. The Japanese garden is an inspirational gift to St. Louis from the hearts of local Japanese Americans, many who were uprooted from their west coast homes and whose sons and daughters had to prove their loyalty to the United States on the battlefields of Europe and in the Pacific. Almost fifty years ago, the Japanese Americans came from the internment camps to St. Louis. St. Luoisians extended their friendly and helpful hand to us in our time of need. St. Louis’ educational institutions, business and corporate communities and private families opened heir hearts and facilities to give us the opportunities to regain our place in life. And so the Japanese garden is a symbolic gift of appreciation by the Japanese and Japanese Americans to the city of St. Louis for their spirit of good will and kindness.
The original Japanese American Citizens league gardens committee members were Sam Nakano, George Hasegawa, Richard Henmi, Yukihisa Rikimaru and Dr. Al Morioka. All are present today except Dr. Morioka, who is deceased.
The Japanese Americans Citizens League garden committee members approached Dr. Peter Reven, Director of the Missouri Botanical Garden, under whose leadership resulted in the creation of the Japanese garden. The Japanese American Citizens League garden committee was fortunate in obtaining the services of Dr. Koichi Kawana, professor of Environmental Design at the University of California at Los Angels (UCLA) and paid for the original design for the Japanese garden.
Dr. Koichi Kawana was born in Japan, educated in Japan and the United States. He was a man with a clear vision in his creation of the Japanese garden from grass filled empty field to a magnificent today. Dr. Kawana stated:
A true appreciation of the Japanese garden required on to look not only at the obvious forms, shapes and materials, but look into something which exists beyond these entities. You must see not only with your eyes, but with your mind. Thus, the viewer develops an empathy with the garden and by suggestive means and imagination is enabled to expand the garden beyond its actual limits.
Unfortunately, Dr. Kawana passed away several years ago, but his spirit is always with us.
Dr. Peter Raven, Director, has been a staunch supporter of the Japanese garden from its inception. Dr. Raven envisions it as much more than a bridge between two cultures; to him, it is art. “Its purpose is to enrich people’s lives,” he says. “What we have here is 14 acres of sculpture on a gigantic scale.”
The Japanese garden occupies 14 acres, the largest and finest Japanese garden in North America. The ground breaking ceremony on September 24, 1974 by the Mayors of Suwa, Japan and St. Louis (Sister cities), and the President of the Garden’s Board of Trustees marked the official start of the construction of the Japanese gardens. It also symbolized a shared commitment to the undertaking that introduced an art form entirely new to the center of the garden. At this time, Suwa City also presented a gift of a large stone snow viewing lantern, the Yukimidoro, to the garden.
In 1976 Nagano, Missouri’s sister state in Japan, donated a gift of a authentic Japanese Teahouse, which was constructed by master craftsman from Matsumoto City, Japan.
Mr. Paul Maruyama, retired businessman and Japanese American Citizens league member, has spent a lifetime bridging the cultures of Japan and the United States. Through his dedicated efforts, he founded the Sister City relation with Suwa and St. Louis, and the Sister State relation with Nagano Prefecture and Missouri State. We will be celebrating its twentieth anniversary this September when the Japanese delegates visit the city during our Japanese Festival.
In May 1977 Seiwa-en, the Japanese garden was dedicated after almost three years in development at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Another Japanese garden was in Forest Park during the World’s Fair in 1904, and to bridge the new with the old, a stone lantern from the 1904 Japanese garden was placed in the new garden. Also present was Mrs. Kacho, a Japanese American relative of Prince Fushimi, Imperial Prince of Japan, who attended the 1904 World’s Fair.
The dedication of the garden marked the realization of a long time dream of local Japanese and Japanese Americans. Their modest hopes for a gift to St. Louis had blossomed into a “thing of beauty and a joy forever.” Seiwa-En symbolizes a cooperative effort which not only includes Japanese and Japanese Americans, but members of businesses, corporations, organizations, individuals, state commissions and others whose financial and moral support joined together to make the Japanese garden a reality.
For twenty years, the annual Japanese Festival activities have celebrated the Japanese culture and traditions. Today, the Festival is organized and presented by cooperative participation by Japanese nationals, Japanese Americans and other who are talented in Japanese culture. Visitors to the festival have been treated to Taiko drummers, Bonsai and Ikebana displays, pottery making, calligraphy, Koto playing, tea ceremony, Aikido martial arts, kendo, nagamochi parade, kite making, print dying, Japanese dancing, story telling, sand art, doll making, wood block print demonstration, origami, movies of Japan, Lectures and traditional foods of Japan.
Seiwa-En celebrates its youthful twenty years of age, and to quote Dr. Koichi Kawana:
A Japanese garden gives the visitor an opportunity to mediate in an environment which brings the person to nature’s more peaceful side.
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Dr. John Hara