Sotto Il Monte Vineyards: THE SUNKEN GARDENS

Too much work and not enough play. I gave myself the day off and I went to check on the progress at the Japanese Tea Gardens in Brackenridge Park. The Tea Garden was developed in 1917 in an abandoned limestone quarry. Donicio Rodriquez, recognized as one of America's foremost Faux Bois sculptors, was commissioned to replicate a Japanese Torii gate. His work is featured throughout the park.

In 1926, the city of San Antonio invited Kimi Eizo Jingu, a Japanese-American artist, to help design and maintain the gardens. He and his wife Miyoshi opened the Bamboo Room, where light lunches and tea were served. Jingu was a representative of the Shizuoka Tea Association and was considered an expert in the tea business. He died in 1938. His wife and eight children continued to maintain the gardens and operate the Tea Room. In 1942, the family was evicted amid the rise of anti-Japanese sentiment of World War II. The name of the sunken garden was changed to the Chinese Tea Garden.

In 1984 it was returned to the original name of The Japanese Tea Garden in a ceremony attended by Jingu's children. I wonder if they will change the name back on the Torii gate?

Koi ponds lie at the bottom of the quarry.

Over the years, the Tea Gardens were neglected and became a target for graffiti and vandalism. In 2005, the City began the restoration process that is underway.

A waterfall cascades sixty feet to the Koi ponds below.

Scaffolding and metal fencing surround the original stone buildings. Perhaps by summer's end I'll be able to enjoy a Japanese Tea Ceremony and lunch at the gardens.

In the meantime, it's back to the pied-á-terre for a light lunch of European Smoked Salmon, cilantro and cream cheese finger sandwiches........................................................