Tranquil tradition.

Byline: Mark Baker The Register-Guard

PORTLAND - If evil spirits have got you down, there's a spot here that might have an answer. Because as wicked as those spirits might be, or think they are, they have a flaw: a lack of angularity.

They fly only in a straight line.

At the Japanese Garden in Portland's west hills, you'll find plenty of "demon tiles" - curved roof tiles built to deflect evil spirits, to fling them backward like an Olympic snowboarder - as well as paths and bridges that zigzag if the roof tiles don't do the job.

But that's hardly all you'll find in this place of tranquility.

"A lot of these things in here are quiet and contemplative things," volunteer tour guide Laura Dieken says. This is a place to be calm and quiet, "and see what is suggested to you," she says.

It's 5 1/2 acres of cool, moist, moss-covered grounds, a larger garden divided into five smaller ones, each with its own theme and style.

Work on the garden began in 1963 and was completed in 1967. It was designed by Takuma Tono, head of the landscape architecture department at the Tokyo University of Agriculture. Shortly after Portland began its sister-city relationship with the Japanese city of Sapporo, Portland city leaders began discussing the idea of bringing a traditional Japanese garden to the Rose City.

The nonprofit Japanese Garden Society was formed and the goal was reached, with the help of Tono.

Japanese gardens have been a tradition in the island nation for many centuries, influenced by Shinto, Buddhist and Taoist philosophies. They are created in hopes of bringing a sense of peace, harmony and tranquility to visitors.

Upon visiting the Japanese Garden here in 1988, Nobuo Matsunaga, a former Japanese ambassador to the United States, is said to have exclaimed: "It's the most beautiful and authentic Japanese garden in the world outside of Japan."

Whether you agree or not, there is no doubting the Japanese Garden is a peaceful place to sit and meditate, or just relax. The garden may sit high on the city's west edge, but it's seemingly a million miles away from the hubbub of Oregon's largest city.

After passing through the admission gate, garden visitors come to a pine and water basin arrangement. The pine tree symbolizes strength and longevity in Japanese culture, while the water basin is used to rinse your hands and mouth - a symbol of purification. This rite is usually performed before entering a shrine or teahouse in Japan.

Japanese gardens typically come in three elements - water, stone and plants - and that is true of this one. Stone represents the bones of the landscape, water is the life-giving force and plants represent the tapestry of the four seasons.

Visitors to the garden, of which there are about 160,000 a year, are meant to feel a part of the environment, rather than overpowered by it. This is a spot to be a part of the universe, not to feel overwhelmed by it.

A strolling tour of the five gardens begins, appropriately, with ...

The Strolling Pond Garden

(chisen-kaiyu-shiki)

After stepping through the frame of a wisteria arbor, the first thing encountered is a five-tiered, 18-foot-tall pagoda, a gift to Portland from Sapporo. The stones at the pagoda's base are in the shape of the Japanese island of Hokkaido, the nation's northernmost island, where Sapporo is located.

Here, you find the Upper Pond, surrounded by white azaleas meant to look like a waterfall, and the Lower Pond to the south, which holds more than 50 koi swimming beneath rushing Heavenly Falls. The lawn in front of this pond has seven paving stones laid out in the pattern of the Big Dipper.

There are more lanterns in this area, as there are throughout the property, some as small as 18 inches tall. There are also tortoise and crane stones. Cranes are symbols of longevity, and they are said to live 1,000 years, according to Japanese mythology. Contemplate this as the sound of spilling water plays in your ears while crossing the Moon Bridge to your next stop, better known as ...

The Tea Garden

(roji-niwa)

The ceremonial Tea House (kashin-tei) is here. Also known as the Flower Heart House, it was built in Japan, disassembled and shipped across the Pacific, then reassembled here. It is 4 1/2 tatami mats in size, considered just the right amount of personal space for sleeping or eating. Three mats lie side-by-side, with a fourth positioned horizontally to form a square.

The Tea Garden consists of two little gardens, the Inner Garden (uchi-roji), which surrounds the Tea House, and the Outer Garden (soto-roji), which has a well and waiting station (machiai) for guests and tea ceremonies.

You must walk the zigzag bridge back across the Strolling Pond Garden's Lower Pond to get to the ...

Natural Garden

(shukei-en)

This garden, symbolic of the spiritual journey of life, wends its way down the Japanese Garden's south hillside, as you pass ponds and waterfalls and streams that glide under small bridges. It's a mix of deciduous and evergeen vegetation, and full of white lilacs, beds of purple and pink iris, and mountain laurel, a pinkish-white flower that looks almost like a miniature origami creation.

In this garden, you come upon a "guardian" stone, once a common sight along roadways in Japan. The guardian is Jizo, a kindly bodhisattva who protects travelers, children and all those "suffering in hell," Dieken says. A woman meditates in a gazebo, as you climb the hill and come to ...

The Sand and Stone Garden

(kare-san-sui, Zen-niwa)

Typically found in Zen monasteries, this is a garden not of shrubs or flowers or any sort of foliage - (unless you count the towering Douglas firs that surround and shade it) - but of just what it says: sand and stone. It stands in stark contrast to the other gardens, with the possible exception of the Flat Garden.

It is eight weathered stones, each surrounded by swirls of ripples raked in the sand to suggest the sea. They are perfectly manicured, like mysterious crop circles, and take two to four hours to create, Dieken says. A wall surrounds the garden. This is an integral part, she says, meant to show age, with its moss and cracks.

Above the garden is the poetry stone, with its inscription - "Here, miles from Japan, I stand as if warmed by the spring sunshine of home" - written in haiku symbols.

It's not only a tribute to the garden, but an indication that Sapporo and Portland have similar climates, says Dieken, as we turn and head for ...

The Flat Garden

(hira-niwa)

And it is flat. Just like the last one. Flat as sand that's flat on the ground with patches of creeping thyme in a sea of raked, blinding white crystals on such a bright midsummer day. A breathtaking, weeping cherry tree stands to the side.

This formal garden encircles the Pavilion, the Japanese Garden's central building used for events and business. The Pavilion was dedicated on May 18, 1980, the day Mount St. Helens blew. The topless volcano can be seen on a clear day, looking from the building's northwest corner. Mount Adams can be seen in the distance, as well, and spectacular views of the city and Mount Hood are off to the east.

A maple wish tree sits here on the pavilion's east side, part of Yoko Ono's "Imagine Peace" project. Visitors have written their wishes on pieces of paper and placed them on the tree: I wish my brother was smater and more nice ... A world free of hatred for anyone different ... I wish that I have gold.

The seascape of sand and the plantings in the Flat Garden are meant to evoke the four seasons. The garden will be raked in a checkerboard pattern for the garden's annual moonviewing later this month, like harvest fields in the fall, Dieken says.

One of the more popular events at the Japanese Garden, the moonviewing is held on the east deck of the pavilion as visitors watch the harvest moon rise over downtown while they sip sake to the gentle sounds of the koto and flute.

THE JAPANESE GARDEN

Where: 611 S.W. Kingston Ave. in Portland

Hours: Open daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day - 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 1 through Sept. 30; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 1 through March 31. (Opens at noon on Mondays year-round)

Admission: $8 adults, $6.25 seniors (62 and older), $6.25 college students with I.D., $5.25 students, free for 5 and younger.

Getting there: Take the Oregon Zoo exit (No. 72) off Highway 26, turn right at Kingston Avenue and follow signs; from downtown Portland, take Burnside, turn left at Tichner and right onto Kingston, or take Salmon Avenue to Park Place to Kingston.

Contact: [phone]; www.japanesegarden.com

HIGH FIBER DIET

ART SHOW

What: Titled "Simple Elegance," it's a collection of work from Northwest artists who are dedicated to exploring new artistic ground through the medium of fiber, including painting, dyeing fabrics, embroidery, collage and quilting 

When: Sept. 11-23; "Meet the Artists" reception from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 16

MOONVIEWING

What: Annual event, also known as O-tsukimi, that dates back 11 centuries in Japanese culture.

When: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 26, 27 and 28.

Cost: $20 for members; $25 for nonmembers.

Reservations: [phone]; www .japanesegarden .com/events/moonviewing #reservations

The Japanese Garden in Portland is a perfect

place for peaceful reflection and quiet relaxation