The Garden of Philosophy was created by Hungarian-born sculptor Nandor Wagner (1922–1997). It features concentric rings of people—representing religion, philosophy, and law—symbolizing the idea that, or order for the different people of the world to become closer, we need to return to an origin of plus/minus one.

Wagner states,
“Rather than looking for differences in culture and religion I want to find similarities.
It is only through those things we share that we can become closer.”

These eleven pieces were donated to Nakano as part of the commemorations of the 140th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Hungary and Japan as well as the 50th anniversary of their resumption. It was also installed in Budapest.

The First Ring

The first ring completely encircles the center point with figures of people who became the patriarchs of major religions and shaped the ideas that underlie our different cultures: Laozi, Jesus, Buddha, Abraham, and Akhenaten.
・Lao (philosopher and patriarch of Taoism)
・Jesus Christ (laid the foundation for Christianity)
・Sakyamuni Buddha (founding patriarch of Buddhism)
・Abraham (progenitor of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism-the Abrahamic religions)
・Akhenaten (Amenhotep Ⅳ, pharaoh of Egypt’s Eighteenth Dynasty, who abandoned the worship of Amon and, introduced the cult of Aten)

The Second Ring

The second ring features people from different cultures and eras who attained stages of spiritual enlightenment and put that knowledge into practice in their respective societies: Bodhidharma, Saint Francis, and Gandhi.
・Bodhidharma (Indian Buddhist monk, active in China, believed to have been the founding patriarch of Chan/Zen)
・Saint Francis (prominent Catholic monk and founder of the Franciscan order)
・Gandhi (lawyer, religious figure, political leader, and father of Indian independence)

The Third Ring

The third ring represents people that created laws in different countries and times, producing the mainstream laws that exist today: Prince Shotoku, Justinian Ⅰ, and Hammurabi.
・Prince Shotoku (enacted the 12-level rank system and the 17-article constitution and devoted efforts to advancing Buddhism)
・Justinian Ⅰ (compiled the Corpus Juris Civilis and attempted to assemble a compilation of Roman laws)
・Hammurabi (sixth king of Babylon’s first dynasty, who enacted the Code of Hammurabi, a codification of common law)

Sculptor Nandor Wagner

Nandor Wagner was born in Hungary. He emigrated first from Hungary to Sweden in 1956, and then in 1969 to Japan, building an atelier in Mashiko, Tochigi Prefecture. It was his hope to pass on to future generations the key to the Way (Tao) to happiness based on theories he had discovered through his lifelong study of analytical art history. The Garden of Philosophy represents that message. He spent his life fully absorbed in his work to truly benefit the country and make the people around him happy. He passed away in November of 1997 at the age of seventy-five.