Kubota Family History
Kubota Garden is the outcome of years of labor by multiple generations of Fujitaro Kubota's family, at times under the oppression of racism. It's also a story of how the Rainier Beach community saved the Garden from becoming another victim of gentrification, and how the biological and horticultural descendants of Fujitaro Kubota have kept his vision alive. The resources below provide the details of this rich history as well as insight into how the Garden has developed.
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A Short History of the Kubota Garden in Rainier Beach, Seattle, Washington, by Mary Anne Parmeter.
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Minidoka: An American Concentration Camp - Resources, Friends of Minidoka & Minidoka National Historic Site.
Spirited Stone: Lessons from Kubota's Garden
2021 Award of Excellence in Gardening and Gardens, Council on Botanical & Horticultural Libraries
​A collaboration between Kubota Garden Foundation and local publisher Chin Music Press, Spirited Stone: Lessons from Kubota's Garden is a collection of poems, essays, and stories inspired by the Garden. Contributors include bestselling authors Charles Johnson and Jamie Ford, poets Claudia Luna Castro and Anastacia-Reneé, stone sculptor Kentaro Kojima, photographer Gemina Garland-Lewis and many others.
The book can be purchased at Chin Music Press, several local booksellers, as well as online.
Fujitaro Kubota and his family overcame many exclusionary policies and practices and faced internment at Minidoka concentration camp in Idaho.
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In this video, educator Barbara Yasui tells their story.