Chiura Obata, Mountain Mist (Gilroy Hot Springs), ca. 1930s, color ink on paper, 10 1/2 x 14 1/2 inches, Private Collection.
About this Artwork
Peeking through thick layers of fog is Gilroy Yamato Hot Springs, a mineral bath resort in the Diablo Mountain Range roughly ninety miles south of San Francisco. Opened in the 1860s, it became a popular destination for Japanese Americans after its purchase in 1938 by lettuce farmer Kyuzaburo Sakata, who added a Japanese garden and teahouse to the property. Fire destroyed several structures in 1980, and although the resort is now closed, campaigns for its restoration and for the preservation of its history are underway.