DELRAY BEACH, FL – Since its opening in 1977, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens has been an epicenter for Japanese arts and culture in South Florida. The idyllic museum offers a distinguished roster of rotating exhibitions, tea ceremonies, a Seishin-an tea house, educational programs, and exciting cultural events as well as a thriving community
outreach program.
On October 1, Morikami is pleased to announce the reopening of the Yamato-kan. Its original museum building, the Yamato-kan is modeled after a pristine Japanese villa. It also features exhibition rooms embracing an open-air landscaped courtyard with a dry garden.
Yamato-kan was named after Yamato, the original colony of Japanese settlers who farmed a large area of land in Boca Raton starting in 1904. The word means, “great peace,” and the early immigrants felt it an appropriate name for their new home.
Guests can explore recently digitized materials from the archive collections associated with the original founders, their families, friends, neighbors, and view local newspaper clips of the time. An important part of the Morikami Museum Collection is the diary of Tamemasu ‘Henry’ Kamiya, which spans from 1914 to 1941. While the diary is too fragile to put on view, it has now been translated into English and digitized, in order to shed light on the personal and community struggles which the settlers faced while farming in South Florida over a century ago.
During their visit to the newly renovated space, visitors will enjoy three new short documentaries. The films highlight the stories of the Yamato colonists who came from Japan, the life of George Morkami, the museum’s namesake, and the philosophy of Hoichi Kurisu, the Japanese landscape designer responsible for the design of the Morikami’s
beautifully manicured gardens.
Renovation of the Yamato-kan was made possible by a grant from The Freeman Foundation and a special gift from Mitsubishi Electric HVAC. Entry to the Yamato-kan is free with paid admission.
Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens is located at 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach. For more information, call (561) 495-0233 or visit morikami.org.
