Commissioned by the Asian Art Department of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, this karesansui (dry landscape) garden was created to be exhibited and appreciated as a work of art alongside the museum’s collection.

The garden was named Tenshin-en in honor of Okakura Tenshin, who served as the museum’s first head of the Asian Art Department during the Meiji era. Stone lanterns and stone pagodas that Okakura brought from Japan and are preserved by the museum were incorporated into the garden as ornamental features.

The garden stones are granite transported from the mountains near Boston. The roof tiles for the earthen wall and the materials for the main gate were imported from Japan and assembled by traditional Japanese temple carpenters. At the rear left of the garden stands a stone arrangement and waterfall representing Mount Sumeru, while the white gravel symbolizes the sea, with Turtle Island on the left and Crane Island on the right, connected by three bridges. The design also incorporates the tranquil beauty of the Maine coastline and the gentle forests of New England, blending these local landscapes with the aesthetics of the Japanese garden tradition.