History
Construction of the Gardens began in 1978. The gardens were designed and built for Linda and John Anderson by Master Craftsman Hoichi Kurisu. The designing of the Gardens is an ongoing project, with Mr. Kurisu returning to Anderson Japanese Gardens several times each year. On June 1, 1998 the Anderson family donated the Gardens to a newly formed 501 (c)(3) tax exempt not-for-profit corporation, which qualifies as a public charity as a supporting organization of the Rockford Rotary Charitable Association.
Specialties
Anderson Japanese Gardens has been named the highest quality Japanese garden in North America by Sukiya Living Magazine since 2004. Inspired by calm and tranquility, this 12 acre award winning landscape is comprised of exquisite design, winding paths, gentle streams, plunging waterfalls, raked gravel gardens, beautifully trained pines, and more. Master craftsmanship and 16th century traditional architecture are found throughout.