Dr. Inazo Nitobe was born in Morioka, Japan and in his life he became a world-renowned teacher, statesman and diplomat. Nitobe died at Victoria's Royal Jubilee Hospital (RJH) in 1933. For many years, the site of his death in Victoria, BC was marked by a simple plaque on the wall outside the RJH ward where he died.
The idea of a Memorial Japanese Garden for Dr. Nitobe began when renovations at RJH required the relocation of his memorial plaque. More than $200,000 was raised by the friendship societies in both Victoria and Morioka as the twin cities worked together on the project. By 2004, plans were complete and construction could begin.
Planning and construction of the Nitobe Memorial Garden was supervised by Paul Allison, craftsman gardener at Victoria's Royal Roads University, and Takashi Fujimura, a master landscape designer gardener from Morioka, Japan. It is the first part of the larger Royal Jubilee Heritage Park plan with the RJH Nursing Alumnae and the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA). All funds came from the Victoria-Morioka Friendship Society (VMFS) and the Morioka-Victoria Friendship Society (MVFS) in Morioka, Japan.
In 2005, construction of the Nitobe Memorial Garden began. Plans called for water features, extensive rockwork and relocation of a stone monument previously erected on the grounds of RJH. The garden incorporates some of Dr. Nitobe's favourite Japanese plants and a Sui-kin-kutsu "water harp chamber", the first of its kind in Canada. The Sui-kin-kutsu is believed to have special therapeutic powers to aid patient recovery.
