Makoto in the Tea Garden

Makoto Hagiwara, the patriarch of the garden, invested his family’s fortune into building and maintaining the garden. He took great pride in being able to share his culture with visiting San Franciscans, tending to the garden until his death in 1925.

(As an interesting side-note, Makoto is also largely credited as the inventor of the fortune cookie. Makoto had his baker deliver sembei cookies for the garden’s guests, to be served alongside their tea.)

After his passing, his daughter took over the garden until World War II. With the rising anti-Japanese sentiment, Makoto’s family was sent to an internment camp and any references to Japanese culture were destroyed. The garden was renamed to the “Oriental Garden” and Japanese monuments were removed.

It wasn’t until 1952 when the garden was renamed to the Japanese Garden and a period of rebuilding took place.