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High-tech buildings crumbled and modern bridges buckled in the magnitude 9.0 Tohoku earthquake off Japan’s coast in 2011. But still standing in the devastation were castle walls built by Suminori Awata‘s ancestors.

Awata, a 15th-generation stone mason, is now creating for the Portland Japanese Garden a rock wall that he says will last many lifetimes as well as abide by the Japanese tradition of unified form and function.

鈥淭his isn’t going to be a model or a replica. It’s going to be a one-of-a-kind, authentic work of art,鈥� said Claire Foster, spokeswoman for the Portland Japanese Garden. 鈥�(Awata) is the real deal.鈥�

On Friday, Awata and a small team chiseled and drove bolts in the dust kicked up by a telescopic handler 鈥� a kind of forklift 鈥� in the lot of Smith Rock Inc. east of Portland. They were making rough cuts ahead of a major installation at the Portland Japanese Garden, perhaps the largest in its history: a 20-foot-high, 1,000-ton dry-laid stone wall built in the ancient anozumi style.

Awata learned these methods from his father, Jyunji, who learned from his father. Their family’s documented guild lineage stretches to a time of samurai and shoguns. It was for this lofty pedigree that Foster said the Japanese Garden retained his services.

鈥淗e might not be a big deal here, but his family is revered in Japan, and he has skills that have been passed down for centuries,鈥� Foster said.

Arrayed around Awata on Friday were about 10 percent of the rocks called for in the project. They’re being shaped for the wall’s top and the bottom 鈥� its most important parts, Awata said through a translator. Rather than a straight line, his walls follow a more natural 鈥� and structurally-sound 鈥� curved path.

Technological advances like forklifts can reduce the risk of injury and accelerate construction, Awata said, but they also remove the human element.

鈥淭he human body is the best machine 鈥� the body can lift, and the brain can compute,鈥� he said.

After the rocks are cut to shape, they’ll head to a staging area near the park, where they’ll sit until foundation work begins in January. The wall should be finished next summer.

The wall is part of the garden’s $33.5 million Cultural Crossing expansion project, which also includes a cascading water feature and three new buildings. Among the many donors are Arlene Schnitzer ($5 million), various Japanese Garden trustees ($4.5 million) and the Oregon Lottery ($1.5 million). Foster called the cost 鈥渁 small price to pay for a masterpiece that will last generations.鈥�

The Portland Japanese Garden was founded in 1963 as a symbol of friendship between the U.S. and Japan. The garden overlooks the city on 8.9 acres in the West Hills.

Despite a language barrier, Awata is able to communicate effectively with his workers through eye contact and subtle gestures, according to stone mason Matt Driscoll. He’s one of two Americans requested by Awata to help build the wall. They met the master at one of two workshops he led in the U.S.

鈥淚 feel blessed to be able to work with Awata-san, and thrilled to be able to help fulfill his vision,鈥� said Driscoll, operator of O’Driscoll Stone of Petaluma, Calif. 鈥淚t’s a huge deal to be here with him and be able to share in his knowledge.鈥�

Driscoll and the project’s other apprentice, Kyle Schlagenhauf, are donating some of their time to work with Awata.

鈥淗e represents 500 years of service, humility and no compromising,鈥� Schlagenhauf said.