Cultural arts panel recommends returning Onigawara sculpture to Vallejo Japanese Garden

A member of the Beautification Commission reported that the Cultural Arts Commission voted to recommend returning the Onigawara sculpture to the city’s Japanese Garden and to proceed with a previously submitted landscaping plan.

The speaker said the sculpture had been damaged and stored years earlier; the sister-city group from Akashi, Japan, cooperated on restoration. The Cultural Arts Commission’s recommendation, the speaker said, will go to the city council for final approval; the speaker expected the council consideration to occur near the end of the month.

Why it matters: Returning the Onigawara and restoring the garden would complete a multi-year effort involving public-art conservation, public-works preparation and volunteer labor. The reporting commissioner asked commissioners to prepare to assist with planting and weed removal once council approval and onsite preparation are complete.

Public-works crews and arborists have done preliminary work such as digging holes and restoring irrigation; the commission was told it may be asked to provide volunteer labor for planting and site cleanup. No formal commission action was taken; the Cultural Arts Commission will forward its recommendation to the city council for final action.