Robert Murase

Robert Murase (1938 – July 19, 2005) was an American landscape architect. He worked throughout the Pacific Northwest in the field of landscape design.

Murase was born in San Francisco as a third generation Japanese-American. Murase graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a BLA in landscape architecture. He was hired by Robert Royston & Associates in 1965. To gain experience in the landscape architecture field Murase moved to Japan, where he maintained a practice for almost 10 years, conducting garden research at Kyoto University. He then moved to Portland, Oregon. He taught at the University of Oregon's Department of Landscape Architecture for a few years and then worked for the EDAW in Portland. In 1982, he formed Murase Associates in Portland, and opened a Seattle office in 1989. His firm went on to win about 50 design awards. He was a fellow member of the American Society of Landscape Architects and honorary member of American Institute of Architects, Seattle chapter.

Murase found roots in his own ancestry where he incorporated the elements that are often found in Japanese gardens. His signature material was stone, strongly influenced from stone sculptor Isamu Noguchi. The Japanese American Historical Plaza along Portland's waterfront was strongly influenced by the internment camp of 110,000 Japanese-Americans. He was relocated from San Francisco and interned at the Topaz War Relocation Center along with his parents as a child. He influenced others by being a guest speaker at universities, museums, and other institutions. He recently authored Touching the Stones, a book tracing 100 years of Japanese American history, which is based on his design of the Japanese American Historical Plaza.

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