
组织起源与宗旨
日本园艺组织 (英文简称 JGO) 由 Don Pylant 于 2007 年在美国创立的跨国非营利机构, 以推动日式庭园知识、欣赏与应用为使命。组织源起于第十四代数寄屋大工栋梁安井清 (1925–2010) 的嘱托, 他担心传统师徒相传的方式难以为继, 希望借助现代网络把数寄屋建筑与庭园的精华分享给世界。该组织将「推广日式庭园的福祉, 服务个人、团体、社区与社会」写入章程, 长期向全球日式庭园爱好者提供公开的免费资源。
数字资源与参考图书馆
JGO 维护着英文世界最早一批系统化的日式庭园在线资源库, 内容覆盖《日本庭园手册》、出版物、画廊与可检索的全球日本庭园目录。资源版块按主题分成竹垣、基础工具、植物配置、石灯笼与洗手钵、设计理论、茶道等专栏, 方便初学者与专业人士按图索骥。组织与美国波特兰日式庭园等机构长期合作, 把第一手工程案例与文化解读同步发布在组织主站。
与 NAJGA 的合并与传承
2021 年初, JGO 与姐妹组织北美日本庭园协会 (简称 NAJGA) 正式合并, 把活动、会员与项目资源整合到 NAJGA 平台。JGO 网站仍作为日式庭园文化与公共教育的入口, 保留历史出版物、参考文章与论坛档案的访问链接。原组织主席 Don Pylant 继续以创始人身份协助过渡, 历史档案与安井清传记等内容长期置顶, 让后来的访客能够追溯组织源流。
安井清与数寄屋工艺
创始人安井清生于京都向日町, 1945 年毕业于立命馆大学后加入家族企业安井木材工務所, 参与寺院、神社、宫室与茶室的修复与新建。他主持的代表性项目包括 1970 年八幡松花堂茶室与庭园、1977–1981 年京都桂离宫综合修复、1984–1990 年加州萨拉托加箱根庭园修复, 以及在纽约大都会艺术博物馆书院房间与圣安东尼奥植物园熊本姊妹庭园等海外项目。2001 年他自立「清宿」工房, 培养后继匠人, 留下的三百五十余年家族木作档案至今仍是日式庭园营造的重要参考。
公共教育与全球影响
JGO 长期以非营利模式运营, 透过网站、社交媒体、捐赠与志愿编辑, 把日式庭园知识译介给英语世界。每两年与 NAJGA 合作举办的双年会议已经成为北美最大的日式庭园专题会议之一, 议题从枯山水鉴赏到可持续维护皆有覆盖。组织持续向日本庭园设计、施工、养护从业者与爱好者输出开放资源, 也鼓励新建庭园在设计阶段就参考《日本庭园手册》中的要素清单, 让传统工艺在跨文化语境下继续生长。
Founding and Mission
Founded in 2007 in the United States by Don Pylant, the Japanese Gardening Organization (JGO) is a multinational non-profit dedicated to fostering the knowledge, appreciation and application of Japanese gardening. The organization grew out of the vision of Kiyoshi Yasui (1925–2010), a 14th-generation sukiya master builder recognized as a National Living Treasure of Japan, who wanted the traditional master–apprentice lineage preserved for future generations. JGO formalizes that wish by maintaining an open, English-language knowledge base for gardeners worldwide.
Digital Library and Reference Resources
JGO curates one of the longest-running online libraries on Japanese gardening, anchored by The Japanese Garden Handbook, an active publication series, themed galleries and a searchable global directory of Japanese gardens. Topic hubs cover bamboo fencing, basic garden tools, plant selection, stone lanterns and tsukubai basins, design theory and the Way of Tea. Content partners include American horticultural magazines and institutions such as the Portland Japanese Garden, ensuring that engineering case studies and cultural commentary reach both beginners and professionals.
Merger with NAJGA
At the start of 2021 JGO merged with its sister organization, the North American Japanese Garden Association (NAJGA), consolidating programs, members and event resources under the NAJGA umbrella. The japanesegardening.org domain is preserved as a public gateway to Japanese garden culture and education, with the historical publications, reference articles and forum archive remaining accessible. Founder Don Pylant continues to support the transition, and the Yasui biography remains permanently featured so that visitors can trace the organization’s roots.
Kiyoshi Yasui and the Sukiya Tradition
Kiyoshi Yasui was born in Muko-cho, Kyoto in 1925 as the fourteenth generation of a master builder family with more than 350 years of history. After graduating from Ritsumeikan University in 1945 he joined Yasuimoku Koumuten, where he led the restoration of temples, shrines, palaces and tea houses. Signature projects include the 1970 Shokado tea house, museum and garden in Yawata, the comprehensive restoration of the Katsura Imperial Villa from 1977 to 1981, the restoration of Hakone Garden in Saratoga, California, the shoin room at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Kumamoto Sister City Garden in San Antonio. In 2001 he established the Sei-Juku workshop to train successors.
Public Education and Global Impact
JGO operates as a volunteer-driven non-profit, sustaining its online presence through donations, sponsorships and volunteer editors. Its biennial conferences, co-hosted with NAJGA, have become one of the largest English-language forums on Japanese garden design, sustainability and stewardship. The organization continues to publish open educational material for landscape architects, contractors, curators and home gardeners, encouraging the use of The Japanese Garden Handbook as a reference during the design phase so that the traditional craft can keep growing across cultures.








发表回复