Our Story
Our Story
Oomi Teien’s Skills and Aesthetics
Oomi Teien has inherited the Japanese art of landscaping. From designing the garden to placing stones, pruning trees and selecting mosses, we use techniques that have been handed down from generation to generation. Hiromu Terashita, who studied under Kyoto's master gardener, Saichi Kojima, has passed on his skills to the next generation. Today, all the staff members are "garden masters" and take pride in their work, even in the smallest details.
There is a long history of Japanese gardening. In Japan, the idea was not to control nature, but to live by its power. Gardens have been created according to this idea. When a garden is filled with the power of nature, the four seasons will be alive, the trees will blow, and the sunlight will shimmer through them. Oomi Teien's use of wood, brought from mountains, as well as timeless rocks and stones, brings the power of nature into the garden.
The appearance of the trees, growing in their own way, creates a relaxed atmosphere, and the surface of the rocks and stones, exposed to the rains, reminds us of times long past. In Japanese landscaping, there is a way of thinking called "yoshuku," which means to celebrate a place in advance by inviting something into the garden that cannot be created by humans. The use of plants with auspicious names, as well as the placement of stone artifacts are two of these ways.
Toward a healthy garden, connected to nature
We at Oomi Teien want to increase the number of healthy, wooded gardens and create sustainable places that are connected to nature. We call this “rewilding.”
Because we select many of our materials from nature itself, our gardens have a depth and presence that most gardens do not. The use of these materials means that there is a movement created in the garden. Because we create gardens that may be viewed from all angles, the eye naturally moves from branch to branch, stepping stone to stepping stone, resulting in a garden that one never tires of viewing. One’s gaze continuously travels comfortably, following the story in the movement.
Telling stories in the garden
We at Oomi Teien use the character for "spelling” in the company’s name because our job is to create and nurture gardens as if we were writing a story. We want to create a garden where you can feel space, and where time is nothing other than the room to create a story.
Although we understand traditional Japanese garden forms, at Oomi Teien we don’t limit ourselves – or you. We believe that the best garden is one that is in harmony with the building, and with modern life. For example, we know that the unique appearance of trees that have grown wild in the mountains can look fantastic in the context of modern buildings. It’s all about how we place them.
Give shape to the garden in your heart
Creating a garden begins with listening carefully to our customer's story. What do you want to do in the garden? How do you want to feel in the garden? Who do you want to spend your time with? We find such stories helpful. Our job is to create a landscape of happiness in the customer's mind – in the form of a garden. Even when the garden has just been completed, the trees and grasses should give the impression of having always fit together, as though they grew there over time.
We are happy to continue our relationship with our customers even after the garden is completed. Oomi Teien slowly nurtures the trees with gentle, detailed pruning. Our pruning techniques are one reason our gardens maintain their original look and feel even after a few years, even in today's changing climate. We think of the garden in terms of its environment, choosing the right plantings for the right place, but also maintaining the gardens as something that is alive and responding to the changes around it.
Our Name
Oomi Teien means ”to create a garden that tells a story.”
When our Chairman, Hiromu Terashita, was working with his mentor, Saichi Kojima, at Sankeien in Yokohama, he was surprised to find that the garden was completely transformed by moving a few lanterns and statues and replacing some plants with more delicate ones. It was one of those moments when you can bring something historic back to life with just a few careful adjustments.
This realization changed Hiromu Terashita’s attitude towards his work. Aiming to create a "garden with a story", he learned landscaping techniques and at the same time developed an aesthetic eye by looking at paintings and architecture. He chose trees that grew in the mountains, and timeless rocks and stones to blend in with the natural surroundings, placing them with the viewer's perspective in mind. He avoided hard pruning and trimmed trees as gently as possible, to give a softer impression.
We want to honor this realization, so we decided to "add a little touch of something historic" to the name, Oomi Teien '近江綴園'. This is the birth of our new brand name, Oomi Teien '近江綴園', which has the same sound as our former name but with a different Chinese character "綴 (Tei)" that means not only to spell, but also to join or gather together. We decided to use this character to represent our work of gathering together trees, grasses and stones into one garden. The character "綴" also symbolizes careful and meticulous workmanship, which also reveals our attitude towards our work.
Ultimately, the gardens of ”Oomi Teien” will bind together nature and people.
Our History
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Hiromu Terashita established Terashita Zoen after training at Royal Warrant, Kojima Teien Komusho
1965
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Established Terashita Sangyo
September 1972
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Changed company name to Oomi Teien ‘近江綴園’
Hiromu Terashita became PresidentNovember 1979
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Shinji Terashita became Director
November 2007
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Shinji Terashita became President
Hiromu Terashita became Chairman of BoardSeptember 2010
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Launched a new brand, Oomi Teien ‘近江綴園’
2021