Preserving History, Part One: Maui’s Nisei Veterans Memorial Center (NVMC)
This is the first in a series of blog articles about projects that preserve Japanese American culture and history. Here, blog contributor Corinne Kennedy profiles the Nisei Veterans Memorial Center of Maui. Its core mission is to preserve the history of Maui’s Nisei veterans, second generation Japanese Americans who served heroically in World War II—despite the declaration of martial law in Hawai’i and the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans in Hawai’i and on the U.S. mainland.
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Botanical Name – Acer palmatum ‘Samidare’ Common Name – Samidare Japanese maple
Acer palmatum ‘Samidare’ is a Japanese maple notable for its uniquely beautiful fall color. In spring, leaves emerge almost pink but quickly turn deep green with light reddish margins. Autumn brings the striking leaf colors and patterning that characterize this cultivar—varying blends of gold, crimson and purple. Many leaves display a subtle pattern of gold-green centers and red-purple lobes.
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Richard Yamasaki’s Black Pine
The Japanese black pine tree is n ative to the coastal are a of Japan and South Korea . It grows best in sandy and sunny locations. This tree has needles, not leaves . There are 2 very sharp needles together about 4” long. In the Spring, the new growth, known as “candles ”, are pinched off to control the growth habit. In the Fall, the branches of the tree can be pruned to develop the desired shape of the gardener.
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Botanical Name – Hibiscus syriacus Common Name – rose of Sharon
Hibiscus syriacus is a large, hardy, multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with showy hibiscus-shaped flowers. Native to China and India, despite its botanical name, this shrub has been cultivated for hundreds of years. It flowers in late summer and fall, a time when most other shrubs are no longer in bloom.
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Stewartia pseudocamellia Common name - Japanese stewartia
With its beautiful mottled bark, white summer flowers, and stunning fall leaf colors, Stewartia pseudocamellia is an elegant tree to enjoy all year long. Both its Latin species name pseudocamellia (imitation camellia) and its Japanese name natsu tsukaki (summer camellia) refer to the flowering time of its delicate flowers.
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June: Botanical Name – Iris ensata, Common Name – Japanese Water Iris
The iris is a flower that represents spring in Japan. The iris is iconic in Japanese culture for its beauty and is revered in paintings, textiles, and woodblocks. One of the renowned iris paintings in Japan is Kakitsubata-zu. Irises symbolize resilience. Irises are depicted in literature and Haiku poetry and used in floral arrangements—ikebana and chabana.
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May: Paeonia suffruticosa: Elegant, semi-double pink flowers in spring!
A lovely tree peony with semi-double pink flowers graces the northwest corner of the Seattle Japanese Garden, blooming in late April or May.
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April: Purity Japanese camellia
Botanical name - Camellia japonica ‘Purity’ Common name – Purity Japanese camellia
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March: Pieris Japonica
With glossy dark green leaves and year-round foliage, Pieris japonica is attractive in any garden. You can enjoy these remarkable plants in several areas of the Seattle Japanese Garden in February.
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