The koan of Seiwa En: History and meaning in the Japanese garden at the Missouri Botanical Garden (Koichi Kawana)

This dissertation examines the history and aesthetics of Seiwa En, the Japanese Garden at the Missouri Botanical Garden. The examination begins with the biography and work of Koichi Kawana, the designer of the garden. The other important parties to the creation of Seiwa En were the Missouri Botanical Garden and the St. Louis Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL). The original idea for the Garden came from the JACL who wanted to create some monument in St. Louis to honor the local Japanese American community.; The Missouri Botanical Garden was both the location of the Japanese Garden and its major sponsor. The Japanese Garden does not fit neatly into the traditional mission of the Botanical Garden, but it is understandable in light of a change in the focus of botanical gardens toward the science of ecology in the 1970s. In that decade, there were also a number of social and economic factors that encouraged the creation the Garden. The most important of these was the economic relationship between Japan and the United States.; After examining parties to Seiwa En's creation and the social and economic conditions that encouraged its construction, the dissertation turns to the Garden itself. A close reading of each section of the garden reveals the use of the aesthetic principles of Zen Buddhism, especially the use of meigakure. The principle uses the technique of hiding a portion of the whole in order to create a sense of mystery. The close reading also looks at details of the design and at their sources in the tradition of Japanese gardening.; The final chapter is an examination of the dedication of Seiwa En, at which a number of speakers reflected upon the meaning of the Japanese Garden.