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Waterfall Garden Park (#21)

Tucked away in this urban streetscape is a lush garden, designed by landscape architect Maso Kinoshita. Born in California in 1925, he was a Kibei – born in the U.S. but educated in Japan – having spent his childhood in Japan, returning to the U.S. at the age of 15. During World War II, he was incarcerated in Arkansas’ Rohwer concentration camp and then served in the U.S. Military Intelligence Service. After the War, his studies in architecture, history and design brought him to Cornell University, Kyoto University and Harvard University.

Kinoshita’s design approach is exemplified in the Waterfall Garden Park with its compact composition of water, stone and plants.

Images

The Military Intelligence Service in the Pacific served under Brig. Gen. Charles Willoughby, pictured here circa 1944. Willoughby said the Japanese American members of the MIS “saved a million lives and shortened the war by two years.”

Courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration.

Although the specifics of Kinoshita’s service is yet to be uncovered, we share these photos of other servicemen in the Military Intelligence Service. Here, students at the Military Intelligence Language School at Ft. Snelling, Minnesota march to class in the winter of 1944.

Courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration.

Graduation portrait of class at the MIS Language School at Fort Snelling, Minnesota: (seated) Kiyoshi Kinoshita, James Aiso, Katashi Oita, Yoshito Iwamoto, Takao Horikiri, Jack Yoshida, Yosh Murakami, Surima Hasegawa; (standing) Harry Arita, Frank Kumamoto, Tosh Furusho, Kiyoo Yamamoto, Harward Yuki, Masato Morikawa, Tom Nagata, Ted Matsushima, Toshi Nishiyama, Dick Ikeda, Jack Naito, Yuji Takane.

Courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration.