Portland Japanese Garden has been selected as the recipient of a significant cultural property from Japan - a castle gate originally built in the 17th century. The Zeze Castle Korai Gate by Tokugawa Ieyasu, or "Zeze Gate" for short, once stood as the southern-most entrance to Zeze Castle in Ōtsu, a city in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. The castle, which stood until the 19th century, was constructed under the orders of Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616), a monumental figure who helped unify the disparate territories of Japan into one nation and was the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate that would rule Japan for over 260 years.

The Zeze Gate has been under the supervision of its stewards at The Yasuhiko & Akemi Saitoh Foundation, who have donated the gate to Portland Japanese Garden - a significant honor for which we are immensely humbled by.

In 2023, the Zeze Gate will be placed at the start of the hill in the Entry Garden. More information about the gate's properties, fascinating history, and construction plans (along with plans on the Antique Gate's new home) will be shared in the coming months!