Written by Kyle Porter
Nisa Miranda Spring Intern
The Japanese Gardens at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens are a unique cultural and thought-provoking space within the state of Alabama. Located on a 7.5 acre area at the southern end of the Botanical Gardens near Mountain Brook Village, the gardens complementarily combine traditional Japanese landscape design, architecture, and various cultural elements. Since its dedication in 1967 and major expansion in the early 1990s, the gardens have become both a peaceful place for visitors and a symbol of cultural exchange between Birmingham and Japan.
The idea for the Japanese Gardens began in the mid-1960s with Jack Parsons, who wanted to create a thoughtful memorial for his wife, Katie Parsons. Katie was a Japanese immigrant who had hoped to establish a public Japanese-style bird garden where children in Alabama could enjoy nature and learn about Japanese culture. After she passed away in 1964, Parsons worked to turn her dream into a substantive reality. The Federated Garden Club of Alabama supported the preliminary project and established a “Japanese Garden Fund” to raise money. Community leaders and volunteers quickly joined the effort and Jimmy Morgan, chair of the Botanical Gardens Committee on the Birmingham Park and Recreation Board, organized an advisory committee led by Mrs. Harvey Hooks. City horticulturist Carl Mattil helped prepare the site, and planning consultations were held with Kenji Shiozawa & Associates of California.
In 1965, local architect Darcey Tatum partnered with Japanese-American architect Masaji “Buffy” Murai to ultimately design the garden. Their goal was to create a landscape inspired by traditional Japanese gardens while fitting the natural environment of Birmingham. Hundreds of tons of rock were transported from Oak Mountain, and soil from nearby Mountain Brook was used to shape hills, curved paths, and a central lake with a small island. These elements created a carefully designed landscape that appeared to capture the seasonal essence and beauty of Japanese culture and tradition.
One of the most remarkable features of the garden was the tea house obtained from the 1965 New York World’s Fair. Senator John Sparkman helped secure the building as a gift from the Japanese Trade Association. Sent to retrieve it from New York, architect Fritz Woehle had the pegged-wooden structure disassembled and trucked to Birmingham, where it was carefully rebuilt using photographs from the World’s Fair for reference. This original tea house was named Toshinan, the same name the current tea house bears in the Gardens today.
The Japanese Gardens officially opened on May 6, 1967, with a dedication ceremony attended by the Japanese Ambassador to the United States. The garden’s opening was celebrated as part of the Birmingham Festival of Arts and marked an important moment of cultural connection between the local community and Japan. Visitors were drawn to the garden’s distinctive features, including a red torii gate at the entrance, graceful bridges, and colorful koi swimming through its waters. The gardens continued to develop in the following decades, growing as a cultural pillar throughout the surrounding community. In 1985, Birmingham’s sister city of Hitachi, Japan, donated a large Kasuga-style stone lantern to commemorate the sixtieth year of Emperor Shōwa’s (Hirohito’s) reign. The entrance to the garden was redesigned in 1988, creating a more formal and welcoming entry point for curious visitors to the larger botanical garden.
A major expansion occurred in the early 1990s when the original tea house eventually became structurally unstable, as it was not originally designed to last. Master Japanese carpenter Kazunori Tago worked with local volunteer Doug Moore to construct a new traditional tea house, also called Toshinan. Built using materials from Japan and traditional techniques, the tea house became a staple of the garden and earned it a designation as a Japanese Cultural Center by the Japanese government upon its completion in 1993.
Today, the Japanese Gardens feature bamboo groves, cherry trees, koi ponds, and a traditional dry landscape garden. Cultural programs, community classes, and seasonal festivals continue to exemplify Japanese traditions and spirit with visitors. More than just a beautiful landscape, the garden stands as a lasting symbol of friendship, cultural exchange, and the vision of the community that brought it to life.
(photos courtesy of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens)
References
“Japanese Gardens.” Bhamwiki, https://www.bhamwiki.com/w/Japanese_Gardens. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
“A Look at the History of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens through Postcards.” Vulcan Park & Museum, 28 July 2020, https://visitvulcan.com/articles/a-look-at-the-history-of-the-birmingham-botanical-gardens-through-postcards/. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
“Birmingham Botanical Garden.” North American Japanese Garden Association, https://najga.org/birmingham-botanical-garden/. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
“Japanese Garden.” Birmingham Botanical Gardens, https://bbgardens.org/gardens/japanese-garden/. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
