The Drum Bridge at the Japanese Tea Garden

Japanese Tea Garden
Golden Gate Park

San Francisco’s first Japanese Tea Garden was originally developed by art-dealer George Turner Marsh as part of the 1894 Midwinter Fair, an event that brought the City by the Bay into the international limelight.

Shinshichi Nakatani was selected to design and build the Drum Bridge (Taiko Bashi).

He built the bridge in Japan, dismantled it and brought back with him. Halfway through completion, the Expo ran out of funds. Shinshichi left San Francisco and returned to Japan. He sold off personal land holdings and brought the money back with him to complete the project.

After the Expo was over, the decision to donate the bridge and gate to the City of San Francisco was made. The bridge and gate have been there ever since.

Historically, the design has had several different functions

It reveals a reflection of a full circle or full moon over still water. The steepness forces those entering a tea garden to slow down, allegedly putting them in the right state of mind for a tea ceremony, and perhaps the most practical – it allows for boats to pass underneath, while using minimal amount of space on the plots of land that support it.