As nearby Peitou was opened up by the Japanese, a mining expert, Yamamoto Yoshinobu, started to buy up land in the Yangmingshan area, and invited landscape gardener Sakakuchi Sonichi to design a blueprint for the Yangmingshan Park.
天生麗質民國十二年（一九二三年），經營礦業的日本人山本義信，自北投入山，前往勘察地形，查探結果，發現草山具天然姿色，極適合開發為公園。於是開始購置土地、闢草萊、斬荊棘，且聘請園藝家規劃設計，動工築造。