Hajime Watanabe

born in Saitama prefecture 1946

Japanese Garden Master

We call him Oyakata. He is responsible for the project overall, not only for the completion of the job, but also the selection of materials.
He will personally be involved at the site, building personal relationships, deciding which type of garden and design best suits the climate, the people and personality and ensuring that the project runs smoothly.

After graduating from High School, he entered in his father's garden business. There is a popular story in his life, when he was 34 years old.
A Saudi Arabian prince asked him to turn his desert garden green.
He took on the challenge with relish and decided to plant Tamaryu (Convararalia japonica Esee picture on website).
He traveled to Saudi Arabia several times and in the process converted to Islam and he is also now known as Ardel Watanabe.
After the successful trial planting he negotiated with the air cargo company special rates to rent a whole plane for transporting the plants and equipment.

Unfortunately the Iran-Iraq war interrupted his dreams of turning the desert green.
This was in the 1980's, but he still keeps his dream alive.
Who knows, if the war hadn't occurred, he might be racing through the desert on a camel the Japanese version of Lawrence of Arabia.

His generous character also welcomes young foreigners who wish to learn the art of Japanese garden.
People from places such as Australia to Austria and Lithuania to Laos have returned to their country, enriched with the knowledge imparted by Hajime Watanabe. His best super talent is to judge and define, what type of garden suits the type of place and person.
He is excited to receive your request and is willing to visit different locations to discuss your project


Hidemi Oonishi

born in Osaka, 1961

Mr Oonishi is our Power Shovel Operator and is required for big projects.
When we design a stone composition (Ishigumi) for the Japanese garden, expertise and accuracy is required to operate a power shovel.
Due to his skill he is able to dance a waltz with the power shovel and during the night he can demonstrate his skill at Karaoke.

At the very young age of 20 he started his own company by purchasing his first excavator.
Since then he has operated as contractor and sub-contractor to build golf courses and public Japanese garden parks.
For the composition and arrangement of 10-15 ton stones for Ishigumi gardens, such as for water cascades or ponds, delicate and accurate work is required for suitable laying and positioning.
Also an excellent cooperation is required between an Oyakata (master) and the operator and a high percentage of a successful job depends on thi heart to heart touch
To date, the Oyakata and Mr Oonishi have been working together for over 20 years and their combined experience ensures a successful job.

Projects are different from site to site with different problems and complexities, so a quick and correct judgement is required each time to enable safe operation and completion. Safety is paramount and Mr Oonishi is also in charge of the safety department, which is required for bigger projects.

Mr Oonishi loves vintage cars and when on overseas jobs, he will always try and find an opportunity to drive one during his spare time.


Kagemasa Watanabe

born in Saitama prefecture, 1968

Mr Kagemasa Watanabe received a thorough training for 10 years by a Japanese garden master in Kyoto. He is now 35 years old, adapts easily to different cultures and customs and one of our younger Japanese gardeners in our staff, but already has a lot of experience with overseas jobs.

Our job in Valese in Milano in Italy was also one of his jobs in 1997.
Also he has completed more than 20 garden projects in Australia together with Mr Mark Donovan, who was trained in Japanese garden design in Japan.
One of his latest projects was a private commission in Spain in August 2003 and was constructed indoors (see picture)
He is very capable in English and loves outdoor sports. Ruar fishing is one of his favourite sports.


Hiroshi Tsunoda

born in Tokyo, 1948

Negotiator

In his younger years he was a hippie, traveling to many countries for many years (approx 40 countries).
His jobs included being a fisherman in Switzerland, helping to construct a ski slope in Gstaad in Switzerland and working in a nature park in Austria.
He also worked in Africa, where he first learned to speak French. Through his travels, he made many friends and build up many contacts.

He is your first port of call, negotiating a contract with you, administering the project and being your after sales support.
All communications are initially channeled through him, either by email or phone.


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