Saving a Piece of History
By NAO GUNJI
RAFU ENGLISH ASSISTANT EDITOR
Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008

Supporters say Aoyama tree in Little Tokyo is a “symbol of our beginning” as city commission agrees to consider historic cultural status.

Courtesy of Koyasan Buddhist Temple
Rev. Shutai Aoyama of Koyasan Buddhist Temple stands next to the ficus tree in March 1920, and (below) the same tree as it stands today immediately north of the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy. Yamashiro Restaurant in Hollywood, built in 1914, is also being considered for Historic Cultural Monument status by the city’s cultural heritage commission.

MARIO G. REYES/Rafu Shimpo
Aoyama Tree

Members of the Los Angeles De­partment of City Planning, Cultural Heritage Commission unanimously agreed to take Aoyama Tree in Little Tokyo and Japanese restau­rant Yamashiro in Hollywood under consideration to be designated as his­toric-cultural monuments Thursday, during a hearing held at City Hall in downtown Los Angeles.

The Aoyama Tree is a ficus tree located on a parking lot immediately north of the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy building, a component of The Japanese Ameri­can National Museum (JANM).

The 50-foot rubber tree was plant­ed in 1920 by members of the Koyasan Buddhist Temple, which was founded in 1912 by Rev. Shutai Aoyama. In 1920, the temple moved to a wood-framed building at 133 N. Central Ave. and planted the tree at the temple’s front en­trance.

In 1940, the temple moved again to its current location at 342 E. First St., however, the original building remained there to be occupied by a variety of Japanese American organizations until it was finally demolished by the city for a parking lot in the early 1950s.

The tree is cur­rently owned by the city.

The city code defines a historic-cultural monument as “any site, build­ing or structure of particular historic or cultural signifi­cance to the city, such as historic structures or sites in which the broad cultural, economic, or social history of the nation, State or community is reflected or exem­plified, or which are identified with historic personages or with important events in the main currents of nation­al, State or local history or which embody the distin­guishing characteristics of an archi­tectural type specimen, inherently valuable for a study of a period style or method of construction, or notable work of a master builder, designer or architect whose individual genius influenced his age.”

The application to be designated as a historic-cultural monument was filed by Deanna Matsumoto repre­senting the Little Tokyo Historical Society (LTHS) last November, in order to acknowledge the tree as a symbol of the history of the Koyasan and of the local Japanese American community.

Thursday’s 5-minute presentation before the Commission was made by Little Tokyo Service Center Project Manager Takao Suzuki.

Commission Vice President Rich­ard Barron suggested Suzuki collect letters of support from Council­woman Jan Perry—who represents Little Tokyo, local businesses and organizations. The Little Tokyo Community Council has been noti­fied of the application, but has not yet discussed it. Commissioner Glen C. Dake commented that the tree’s health evaluation should be made first in order to encourage the desig­nation endorsement.

Koyasan Buddhist Temple Presi­dent Francis Nakamura, whose father was the fourth reverend of the Temple, was present at the hearing. “The tree itself has been chronicled in various photographs,” Nakamura said. “It’s lasted through the war and all the redevelopments. It remains as part of our history. It’s a symbol of our past, physical symbol of our beginning.”

Matsumoto agrees, “It symbolizes the beginning of Little Tokyo, begin­ning of the Buddhist religion in Los Angeles and California.”

Matsumoto told The Rafu Shimpo that LTHS hopes to get funds to pre­pare a plaque or historical marker for the tree. The city plans to create an art park where the parking lot is currently situated. Once it’s designated as a his­toric-cultural monument, Matsumoto said, the tree should be incorporated into the design of the park so that public activities could take place around it.

A representative from JANM was also at the hearing to express the organi­zation’s support to the designation.

The Commission also heard a presentation to nominate Yamashiro as a historic-cultural monument. Yamashiro, also known as “Mountain Palace,” was built in 1914 by the Bernheimer Brothers in order to house their massive collection of Chinese and Japanese artwork. The property includes the 10-room teak and cedar mansion with ornate woodwork and silk wallpaper, Japanese gardens, 300 steps leading up the hillside to the mansion, a 600-year-old pagoda, a teahouse and more.

Supported by the neighboring home owners’ associations and local his­torical groups, the current Yamashiro owners—11 descendants of mid-century landlord Thomas O. Glover who bought Yamashiro for $150,000 in 1948—and nearly 40 letters and e-mails from the public, Hollywood Heritage filed the application to the Commission.

At the hearing, one of the 11 own­ers, Andy Ulloa explained to the Com­mission that Yamashiro is currently in the process of getting sold, and the current owners wish to set a preser­vation guideline before a new owner takes over the property.