Hideki Ueda

Hideki Ueda was born on October 25, 1941 in Wakayama Prefecture to Tamiko (née Kitagawa) and Yoshio Ueda, who were both schoolteachers. Hideki's brother, Kanjo-Kaishi was born in 1944, but died just a year later due to wartime austerity. In 1951, Hideki's father passed away, and Tamiko Ueda moved to the Nishi Ogikubo neighborhood of Tokyo to open a small sundry store.
In 1959, Hideki entered Chiba University to study horticulture. During his college years, Hideki pitched for the university's baseball team and osted ballroom socials. After graduating in 1963, Hideki worked for the landscaping firm Tokyo Teien, and he oversaw the construction of gardens in several apartment complexes and a shopping center. In 1967, Hideki moved to the US seeking more opportunities. Working for his cousin, Bud Oba, Hideki gained experience in single-home garden design and maintenance. In 1974, he was recruited to oversee garden construction for the Japanese Embassy in Peru. After returning to the States, Hideki opened Yamato Landscaping in 1975.
Hideki was a member of Seicho-No-Ie, where he met and later married Akemi Lillian Fukumoto on March 6th, 1977. Soon after, they had their first child, Christine Terumi Ueda, and a year later, Jason Takayuki Ueda. In 1980, the family moved to Brea, California. Hideki's long career as a landscaper and gardener spanned four decades and brought countless people the pleasure of a balanced and wellmaintained Japanese garden. Hideki was very active at Seicho-No-Ie, and he served as President of the Southern California Missionary Area, as well as the Regional ecturers' Society. For his achievements, he was awarded the Overseas Distinguished Propagation Award in 1996, and later the Overseas Ring of Light ward in 2016. His love of baseball extended into retirement; he rooted for the Angels, Dodgers, Yankees, and any team that would start a apanese player. He was also an enthusiastic fan of sumo wrestling and Enka music.
On February 20th, 2024, Hideki Ueda passed away after a swift confrontation with cancer. He is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren, Owen and Phoebe Dirks.