Hi sandiplant.
I thought he passedaway 10 years or more years ago. Maybe different Makita san. Mr makita Did or do live in metro Atlanta area ?
yama

Hi sandiplant
I am sorry. Mr makita is live and well.
Mrs Makita passed away 8 years ago. I have met Mr Okochi today and he said Mr Makita is about 82 years old, he catched cold. You might want to call him and say hello.
yama

Sandiplants, I first met Hiroshi at Swiss Pines many years ago. He would occassionally stop in to see me at my work. I may have met you at the intersection of Croton Rd and King of Prussia Rd. many years ago. He was driving a BMW at the time.It may have been your car.Ring a Bell? By the way, do the rocks/stones talk to you? I would like to contact Hiroshi,if that is possible.I hope he is in good health.If you have contact with him,please tell him of this message.Contact me at johnd44210@aol.com. Thank you.Jack

Greetings Erich,

Just re-posting here from the main discussion thread ...

I had the honor to work for Hiroshi for a couple of years
back in his Swiss Pines days. As with any artist, he felt
that the people who commissioned his work did not truly
appreciate the meaning behind his work. He taught me
alot, not about Japanese gardening per se, but more about
integrity and determination. Hiroshi's kind of lesson can
only be taught by weeding moss gardens :). I hope he is
doing well, and I wish him all the best.

I like that he's moving toward environmental art, kind of
a Hiroshi Makita meets Andy Goldsworthy fusion thing! I
don't know the Oklahoma City area, but I hope Hiroshi likes
it out there. He's not in Pennsylvania anymore! :)

Please hang on with me- I've never blogged!

I realize this is an old thread, but I'm taking a trip down memory lane...

Thirty or so years ago while I was growing up (I'm 39) Mr. Makita (as I always knew him) worked extensively for years at my next door neighbor's home. As it happened, my father is a landscape architect, and they forged a nice relationship- working together to compliment the gardens and views for all to enjoy and reflect. They worked with the natural terrain and woods highlighting the natural beauty. For years, I would look out my bedroom window and in my back yard, (weeding) and watch Makita lovingly move each individual stone, each plant...for years... day after day... on and on.

I completely respect him as well as his work. I remember him as a very sincere, soft spoken and modest person- not at all like many of you projected. To those who have negatively commented on his work, I strongly suggest that you visit it in person. His gardens remain beautiful & peaceful.- and having been in Japan- at least the one next door is traditionally Japanese. (no bright colors, etc)

Life comes full circle, and then the cirle closes. I am now working with my father to put a small Japanse garden in the front of my modest home (outside philly). In discussing design and plans- we both refrenced Mr. Makita as inspiration. The house where he designed the gardens' owners have died, and new owners have just moved in. Dad felt obligated to go and educate the new owners about their gardens and their creator and his reflections and reasons. In doing so, we realized that his work for years next door was lifelong gift to us! I would love to reach out to him if anyone knows anything about his current whereabouts-
Regards-

With deepest sympathy, I have found out today Hiroshi Makita passed away last year from our mutual Japanese friend. We have the privilege of getting acquaintance with him these few years. But kind of loss contact after he move away to some kind of government housing assistance. I would like to find out more information about him, especially in his last days.

Hi Victoria,

For some reason something about Swiss Pines has gripped me over the past couple of days and I have spent nearly ten hours researching this place and those who have contributed to its creation. I am sorry to hear about Hiroshi Makita's passing. Sadly, Swiss Pines, where he toiled and created for nearly a decade has fallen upon hard times. I feel like his spirit and the spirit of the late Arnold Bartschi would like to see the rebirth of this once serene and inspiring sanctuary.

I can be reached at mehlsteven@gmail.com or 201-486-8283 (text). I would like to come up with a history of this sanctuary and its contributors (perhaps short documentary and/or book. I would also like to aid in its resurrection even though the way is not yet clear.

Hello Victoria Ting

I am saddened to just now hear of Hiroshi's passing. I would like to find out all I can about the circumstances and where is was when he died. I worked with Hiroshi on a private garden at my home in Pennsylvania and when I gave up the place in 2005, put up a website to find a garden project for him to work on. As a result he moved to Oklahoma City. My farm manager was in touch with him perhaps a year ago or a little more. I learned so much about pruning and rock placement from Hiroshi, and about the philosophy behind Japanese Garden design. I miss knowing that he is busy moving rocks somewhere. But if it was his time, then he has moved on to even greater gardens. I now live in the Caribbean and am doing a different sort of gardening. But you could contact me via email at winnanne@gmail.com. My phone # here is 1-767-265-0834. I hope you see this message after a year has past. Or if anyone else on this thread has any information please pass it on to me. Thank you.

I would love to talk with anyone who was familiar with Swiss Pines. I'd also appreciate any old photographs or videos. You can email me at broadwaterfarm@gmail.com

Thank you for your post. I feel fortunate to have known Hiroshi, and to have seen/experienced several of his landscape creations. Very interesting fellow with alot of past experiences of great import. Cindy

I'm available to have a conversation with those who are interested, regarding Hiroshi Makita. I knew him and work with him starting in 1981. 🖖

I would very much appreciate any info on Hiroshi’s last days and what happened to him upon his passing.

I worked with him regularly for about 5 years, and then occasionally, starting in my late teens. I considered him not only a mentor but also a good friend. We met at a presentation he gave of his work to my high school landscape class in 1995, at Saul H.S. in Philadelphia, where he mentioned at the end he was looking for a garden helper. I valued the opportunity to work with someone of such unique skill and so jumped at the chance. I worked on a couple of projects from start to finish and also, with maintainance on existing projects.

He was hard working, skilled, sensitive and sincere. He also had a playful, sarcastic sense of humor (he really liked Andy Kaufman). I agree with some of the other sentiments on this thread and add that he sometimes had a harder time with communicating expectations regarding his work as he took it seriously as a high artform and he as an artist (but not in the egoic way that someone once posted). At times, there were cultural and/or communication differences with his work for clients and he could take things personally as a disrespect rather that communicate it to try and clear it up; that was his humanity rather than any arrogance. He was also sensitive to, and aware, that stories printed about him could misrepresent his intentions as an artist and the writer and editor can whether intentional or not, color the story of him to the readers and he was not always satisfied with the accuracy of what was printed and a bit frustrated that it was out of his control.

Years after we met he spent a few years living with with me and a couple of my friends in our warehouse apartment. After he moved out, I visited him twice in Oklahoma and then we drifted apart a bit, only talking a few more times by phone. I found out a few years ago about this thread but it is hard to believe he is gone and was a bit hard to process; responding felt too much like accepting the reality of it. I wish I was there for him in the end or that he would’ve reached out. I still think of him and talk of him regularly and I owe my career in public horticulture to all the skills he taught me as a young adult.

-Tim Snyder

timothyallensnyder@gmail.com