Kotani-En

The bronze credits "master artisan Takashima." The garden's own history says Max Cohen met him cooking in Arizona and hired him for his kitchens, and a 1991 profile it republishes adds that Takashima was a Kyoto-trained landscape designer whom anti-Asian prejudice had kept from that work. The cedar gate was joined without a nail, and a C for Cohen in its roof tiles is said to be the only Western touch. Kotani-En is a private home on a private road; this plaque, placed eight years after the 1976 registration, is barely visible from outside.

What the plaque says

Kotani-En Kotani-En is a classical Japanese residence in the formal style of a thirteenth century estate with tile roofed walls surrounding a tea house, shrine, gardens, and ponds. Constructed for Max M. Cohen in 1918-1924 of mahogany, cedar, bamboo, and ceramic tile by master artisan Takashima and eleven craftsmen from Japan, Kotani-En represents a harmonious union of art and nature in a two acre rustic environment. Kotani-En is a prominent example of Japanese landscape architecture in America. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 903 Plaque placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with Mountain Charlie Chapter No. 1850, E Clampus Vitus, December 15, 1984.

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Saratoga — 1.9 mi
• Forbes Flour Mill — 2.0 mi
• Paul Masson Mountain Winery — 3.4 mi
• Gubserville — 4.2 mi