For the series finale, Oliver is joined by Toshio Watanabe, Professor of Japanese Art and Cultural Heritage at the Sainsbury Institute, to discuss gardens of war memory, going over his latest project of transnational gardens across the Pacific with ties to the Asia-Pacific War (1937-45). Toshio invites us to consider gardens as spaces of memory and healing, but also as reminders of colonialism past and present across former territories of the Japanese empire throughout Asia. We also look at gardens as peopled places, looking at the motives for visitors coming to these places: do they come for the memories or just to enjoy nature?
For a comprehensive list of Japanese time periods, please see Japanese History: A Timeline of Periods and Events
Toshio's recommendations for Japanese gardens:
War in Japan
Peace in Japan
War memory of a place still under colonial conditions
Image and audio credits
Intro audio: hase-dera, kamakura, japan - garden path by OR poiesis
Outro audio: jasonszklarek / MotionElements.com
[L] Nagasaki Peace Park monument by MShades is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
[R] Sakura at Chidorigafuchi Park by Yoshikazu TAKADA is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Copyright © 2021 Oliver Moxham, ℗ 2021 Oliver Moxham. May be freely distributed in a classroom setting.
