Takeo Uesugi, a professor emeritus of landscape architecture and designer of Cal Poly Pomona’s Aratani Japanese Garden, died from cancer Jan. 26. He was 75.
The world-renowned architect immigrated to the United States in 1962 from his native Japan. A few years later, he returned to his home country to design the landscape of the Japan Pavilion for the Japan World Exposition of 1970, according to his biography.
He taught at Kyoto University, where he met his wife Hiroko, and came back to America to begin teaching full-time at Cal Poly Pomona. He taught landscape architecture until 2000.
Uesugi established a private practice, Takeo Uesugi & Associates, in 1971. Notable Japanese gardens Uesugi designed include the James Irvine Japanese Garden the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles and the Japanese Friendship Garden in San Diego’s Balboa Park.
Uesugi’s son Keiji Uesugi, a landscape architect and lecturer at Cal Poly Pomona, and university Professor Emerita Noel Dorsey Vernon, wrote a biography on Takeo Uesugi for The Cultural Landscape Foundation.
Kenji J. Taguma wrote an article on the elder Uesugi for the Nichi Bei Weekly.