The Japanese Peace Garden, dedicated in 1950, sits quietly along a bend of the Jordan River at the rear of the International Peace Gardens. Built entirely by Japanese Americans, the site required a full year of soil replacement—hundreds of truckloads—to transform the former dump ground into soil suitable for

planting. A formal entrance gate, constructed in 1971 using

traditional nail‑less carpentry and designed by architect Takakita,

marks the beginning of the garden path. Nearby stands a

50‑year‑old wisteria pergola. Beyond the gate, a winding path

circles a naturalistic pond with an artificial island. At the back

rises a stone grotto waterfall built in 1950 from weather‑worn

stones brought from Big Cottonwood Canyon. Though no

longer functional, it was once a centerpiece flowing beneath the

original red‑and‑black Taikobashi drum bridge, now reduced in

size but slated for historic restoration.

In 1952, Japan donated a torii gate and teahouse with help from

the Seattle Consul General. The torii’s whereabouts are now unknown, and the teahouse was destroyed by vandals—reflecting the challenges faced by Japanese friendship gardens nationwide in the post‑war era. Despite these hardships, Japanese Utahns continued to care for the garden, inspired by the Japanese American Citizens League’s call to contribute to “a greater America.”

The garden features three historic stone lanterns gifted by Kobayashi of Yu Nozu, Tokyo. Two slender Kasuga‑dōrō lanterns—now 400 years old—symbolize enlightenment and bear carvings of deer and zodiac animals. A 250‑year‑old Yukimi‑dōrō “snow‑viewing” lantern sits on the island.

The garden’s history also includes painful moments: the Quannon statue, which survived two Allied bombings in Japan, was vandalized shortly after its arrival in 1952. A shipment of 1,000 cherry trees gifted by Japan in 1951 was burned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, prompting a national fundraising effort to replace them. Of the 300 replacement trees planted along the Jordan River, all were stolen; the 60 planted at the Utah State Capitol were recently removed during construction, shocking the Japanese Utah community.

                                           In 2024, a new footbridge was added to replace an earlier structure, and the gate and bridge were

                                           repainted in temple red and black to commemorate the 65‑year sister‑city relationship between

                                           Salt Lake City and Matsumoto. Three new cherry trees were planted by both cities’ mayors. For

                                           many years, expert gardener Kay Amai and volunteers from the Japanese American Citizens League

                                           maintained the garden through annual cleanups. The Japanese Peace Garden has hosted significant

                                           cultural moments, including a 1988 peace and healing ceremony for the atomic bombings, the 1978

                                           planting of 25 cherry trees from Matsumoto, and the dedication of a 50th‑anniversary time capsule

                                           in 1997.