Kubota Legacy

Learn how Fugitaro Kubota's visionary Northwest Style landscaping transformed Seattle University's campus in the 1950s-60s, blending Japanese design with native flora to create an enduring botanical legacy continued by generations of the Kubota family.

  1. Life at Seattle U
  2. Our Campus
  3. Campus Gardens
  4. Kubota Legacy

About Fugitaro Kubota

Fugitaro Kubota emigrated from Japan in 1906 and brought with him a deep interest in landscape design and the artistic arrangement of plants. In 1927, he established a nursery in South Seattle, which has since evolved into the renowned Kubota Gardens, a public park that showcases his pioneering approach to gardening. Kubota was a trailblazer of the Northwest Style, a naturalistic form of landscaping that integrated Japanese influences with the local environment.

During the 1950s and 1960s, Kubota collaborated with Fr. Raymond Nichols, the grounds manager at Seattle University (SU), to transform the campus. He introduced many large evergreens, including the iconic Giant Sequoia, creating a lasting sense of place. His work established the beautiful gardens that Seattle University is now famous for in the horticultural community. Fugitaro passed away in 1974 at the age of 93, but his legacy continued through his sons, Tommy and Tak, and his grandson, Allen. Allen Kubota designed and installed the Japanese American Remembrance Garden on the SU grounds, further enriching the campus landscape.

Take a Tour

Take a self-guided tour or schedule a group tour with Shannon Britton, Assistant Director of Grounds.

Self-guided Tour Group Tour

The Gardens

  • a path leads you into one of the Kubota Gardens on campus
  • a waterfall and stone pathways at the Seattle University Kubota Gardens
  • a stone sculpture amidst ferns and Japanese maples at the SU Kubota Gardens
  • Kubota Legacy Gardens in the Sinegal Center courtyard
  • intricate zigzagging tree branches of a Japanese maple at the Kubota Legacy Garden at SU