Brian Yamasaki (left), wearing the Green and White Ribbon of Merit and holding a certificate of commendation, and Consul General Kosei Murota.
By TOMOKO NAGAI
RAFU STAFF WRITER
The Agricultural Society of Japan (Dai Nippon No Kai), which recognizes individuals and organizations for outstanding contributions to the development of agriculture and related fields, has presented Brian Yamasaki with the Green-White Achievement Award (Overseas).
A commendation ceremony was recently held at the official residence of the consul general of Japan in Los Angeles.
The Agricultural Merit Awards are a prestigious honor with an over 130-year history in Japan. Of the 61 award recipients for 2025 (including one organization), Yamasaki was the sole recipient from overseas.
In addition to his long-standing professional contributions to the landscaping industry, Yamasaki was highly commended for enhancing the quality of public spaces through park management and for his significant contributions to the development of the Japanese American community and the promotion of Japanese culture.
On behalf of Crown Prince Akishino, president of the Agricultural Society of Japan, Consul General Kosei Murota read the commendation. Congratulatory remarks were delivered by Shinkichi Koyama, president of the California Chapter of the Agricultural Society of Japan, and by Edgar Award-winning author Naomi Hirahara.
Yamasaki was born in 1962 in the U.S. and is a third-generation Japanese American; his maternal roots trace back to Hiroshima Prefecture. He has worked in gardening and landscaping since 1985, steadily building hands-on experience and professional expertise.
In 2014, his skills and achievements were recognized with his appointment as a City of Los Angeles park supervisor and manager. He currently serves as a chief supervising manager overseeing parks throughout Los Angeles, leading teams of gardeners in park beautification and environmental maintenance.
Deeply committed to community activities, Yamasaki worked with local residents as president of the Hollywood Japanese Cultural Institute to realize the construction of its Community Center.
As president of the Southern California Gardeners Federation, he has actively organized training programs and exchange initiatives inviting agricultural professionals from Japan, serving as a bridge between Japan and the U.S. in the fields of agriculture and landscaping. Last year, as part of the federation’s 70th-anniversary projects, he led the successful installation of a monument honoring Japanese American gardeners in the James Irvine Japanese Garden at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center in Little Tokyo, along with related commemorative events.
Upon receiving the award, Yamasaki reflected that his involvement in the Japanese American community deepened his connection to Japanese culture and taught him that Japanese culture is grounded in values such as responsibility, harmony, mutual respect, and consensus.
“These values nurtured me and have enriched both my work — including my responsibilities with the City of Los Angeles — and my character,” he said. He added that he hopes, through the federation, to pass on Japanese American history and ensure that contributions to the community are recognized and not forgotten.
As Japanese and Japanese American gardeners age and the number of members who have passed away increases, the need to document and preserve their past achievements has become ever more pressing, he added.
Brian Yamasaki toasts with wife Susan and author Naomi Hirahara (right) at the Consul General’s residence.
During the ceremony, Hirahara — who edited the bilingual book “Green Makers: Japanese American Gardeners in Southern California,” published in 2000 by the Southern California Gardeners Federation — also offered remarks. The book documents and honors the history of Japanese American gardeners who cultivated gardens and lawns, creating midori (green) landscapes and the okane (money) their labor brought in to local communities.
Hirahara noted that Japanese American gardeners not only built beautiful gardens but also, in effect, earned “green dollars,” sustaining their families and communities while surviving difficult periods such as the Great Depression of 1929 and the post-war return from incarceration camps. She emphasized that their earnings laid the foundation for today’s community centers and organizations, and that Japanese-style gardens became rooted in local communities as symbols of friendship and goodwill.
Yamasaki is featured in the book in the section titled “Next Generation,” where he is praised as a “bridge” connecting third-generation Japanese Americans and newer immigrants, carrying forward the history and spirit of Japanese American gardeners into the present and the future through his activities with the Southern California Gardeners Federation and related organizations.
Koyama expressed his pride, saying, “As a Japanese American gardener, I am truly proud of his achievements,” adding, “A garden is a living thing. His honor reflects the way he has always paid close attention to what appears before him and responded with care and sincerity.” He praised both Yamasaki’s accomplishments and his calm, thoughtful character.
Bill Watanabe, president of the Little Tokyo Community Impact Fund, led the toast. Touching on the hardships of working as a gardener, he expressed gratitude for Yamasaki’s lifelong dedication to his work, his family, and the broader community.
Asked what weighed most on his mind on this milestone occasion, Yamasaki replied, “The backbone of my career was the Hollywood Gardeners Association. This award feels less like a personal achievement and more like an expression of remembrance and gratitude toward my mentors and predecessors who guided me — sometimes sternly — along the way.”
He noted that many of the association’s core members have already passed away, and those still living are now over 90 years old.
Introduced to gardening at the age of seven or eight, Yamasaki has pursued it as his life’s work. He joined the Hollywood Gardeners Association at age 39 and gained experience in both the private and public sectors. His father was also a successful gardener in Santa Monica, and the family tradition of both professional craftsmanship and public service has been passed down.
Placing great importance on his role as a bridge between the Japanese American community and the broader society, and among Issei, Nisei and Sansei, Yamasaki continues to preserve and pass on the spirit and philosophy of Japanese gardens.
In Southern California, the spirit of Japanese American gardeners has been handed down through generations. Even when subsequent generations do not choose gardening as a profession, that spirit lives on within families and in the actions of Japanese Americans throughout society. Meanwhile, Yamasaki’s leadership and dedication — demonstrated through his heavy responsibilities of managing Los Angeles city parks — extend beyond the Japanese American community and continue to breathe life into parks across the city.