The great masters of Japanese Gardens 2
Ueji,The Genius of Water and Stone

Ueji, Ogawa Jihei VII(1860-1933) 

Ogawa Jihei VII, also known as Ueji, was born in 1860, just before the Meiji Restoration. His former name was Yamamoto Gennosuke. He was adopted by the Ogawas, a traditional gardening family, at the age of 17. He became head of the family at the young age of 19 after the sudden death of his father in law, Ogawa Jihei VI. He learned landscape gardening on his own but through his relatives he made the acquaintance of some of the most important businessmen and statesmen of the Meiji era. This new high society was equally knowledgeable about occidental manners and Japanese traditions. Ueji immediately understood their need for a new type of garden. He transformed the traditional Japanese garden according to the taste of his epoch, with bright, wide-open spaces incorporating lawns and water. He was the pioneer of the modern Japanese garden. Ueji's name became famous and he created both private and public gardens throughout Japan. Today, Ogawa Jihei XI and his son Ogawa Katsuaki are continuing in the spirit of his work.

Gardens appearing in this book

・Murin-an Garden
・Heian-jingu- Garden
・Kaiu-so- Garden
・Maruyama Park
・Hekiun-so- Garden
・Ko-daiji-Doi Garden
・Westin Miyako Kyoto Gardens