Japanese Garden

Introduction

• Awareness of natural pattern and seasonal changes is integral to Japanese culture

• Nature was perceived in the Japanese imagination not as harsh or hostile reality but as an
expression of the divine

• Garden design and poetry had a circular influence: Iconic imagery took form in the garden and
garden scenery inspired poetry
Historical Background

Japanese gardens were also strongly influenced by the Chinese philosophy

of Daoism and Amida Buddhism.

Daoist legends spoke of five mountainous islands inhabited by the Eight Immortals, who lived in
perfect harmony with nature. Each Immortal flew from his mountain home on the back of
a crane. The islands themselves were located on the back of an enormous sea turtle. In Japan,
the five islands of the Chinese legend became one island, called Horai-zen, or Mount Horai.
Replicas of this legendary mountain, the symbol of a perfect world, are a common feature of
Japanese gardens, as are rocks representing turtles and cranes
Elements

The ability to capture the essence of nature makes the Japanese gardens distinctive and appealing to
observers.

Japanese gardens are modeled with spiritual and philosophical ideas in mind. Japanese gardens have
always been conceived as a representation of a natural setting. The Japanese have always had a
spiritual connection with their land and the spirits that are one with nature, which explains why they
prefer to incorporate natural materials in their gardens. The elements which incorporates in designing
the Japanese garden are as follow:

1. Water
2. Rocks and Sands
3. Garden Bridges
4. Stone Lanterns and Water Basins
5. Garden Fences, gates and devices
6. Trees and flowers
7. Fish
Elements - Water
 Japanese gardens always have water, either a pond or stream, or, in the dry rock garden,
represented by white sand.

 According to Buddhist symbolism, water and stone are the yin and yang, two opposites that
complement and complete each other.

 In traditional gardens, the ponds and streams are carefully placed according to
Buddhist geomancy, the art and science of putting things in the place most likely to attract good
fortune.

 According to Sakuteiki, or "The Creation of Gardens", in the 11th century, there are various
guidelines for placement of water e.g.:
o Water flowing from east to west will carry away evil, and the owner of the garden will be
healthy and have a long life.
o Another favorable arrangement is for the water to flow from north, which represents water
in Buddhist cosmology, to the south, which represents fire, which are opposites (yin and
yang) and therefore will bring good luck.
Elements - Water
 The Sakuteiki also recommends several possible miniature landscapes using lakes and streams:
"ocean style", "broad river style", "marsh pond" style, etc. as well as it also recommends various
types of island

 A cascade or waterfall is an important element in Japanese gardens, a miniature version of the

waterfalls of Japanese mountain streams.

An island of weathered rocks and a single pine tree in Rikugi-en garden in

Tokyo represents Mount Horai, the legendary home of the Eight Immortals
Elements – Rocks and Sands
 Rock, sand and gravel are an essential feature of the Japanese garden.

 Rocks and water also symbolize yin and yang, (in and yō in Japanese) in Buddhist philosophy; the
hard rock and soft water complement each other, and water, though soft, can wear away rock.

 A vertical rock may represent Mount Horai, the legendary home of the Eight Immortals, A flat rock
might represent the earth. Sand or gravel can represent a beach, or a flowing river.

 Rough volcanic rocks (kasei-gan) are usually used to represent mountains or as stepping stones.
Smooth and round sedimentary rocks (suisei-gan) are used around lakes or as stepping stones.
Hard metamorphic rocks are usually placed by waterfalls or streams.

 Rocks are traditionally classified as tall vertical, low vertical, arching, reclining, or flat. Rocks should
vary in size and color but from each other, but not have bright colors, which would lack subtlety.

 Rocks with strata or veins should have the veins all going in the same direction, and

 Rocks should all be firmly planted in the earth, giving an appearance of firmness and permanence.
Elements – Rocks and Sands

 Rocks are arranged in careful compositions of two, three, five or seven rocks, with three being the
most common. In a three-arrangement, a tallest rock usually represents heaven, the shortest rock
is the earth, and the medium-sized rock is humanity, the bridge between heaven and earth.

 Sometimes one or more rocks, called suteishi, ("nameless" or "discarded") are placed in seemingly
random locations in the garden, to suggest spontaneity, though their placement is carefully
chosen.

 In ancient Japan, sand (suna) and gravel (jari) were used around Shinto shrines and Buddhist
temples. Later it was used in the Japanese rock garden or Zen Buddhist gardens to represent water
or clouds. White sand represented purity, but sand could also be gray, brown or bluish-black.

 Selection and subsequent placement of rocks was and still is a central concept in creating an
aesthetically pleasing garden by the Japanese.

 Furthermore, the principle of kowan ni shitagau, or "obeying (or following) the request of an
object", was, and still is, a guiding principle of Japanese rock design that suggests "the
arrangement of rocks be dictated by their innate characteristics."
Elements – Paths

 Japanese gardens invite viewers to walk through them.

 The path or system of paths provides:

 firm, dry,safe footing;
 directs and paces the visitor
 Paths not only form the route through but also forms part of Garden’s beauty and spirit

 Paths range in elaborateness and formality from wide, elegantly paved stone walkways to stepping
stone pathways to the simplest of packed earth trails
Elements – Garden Bridges
 Bridges first appeared in the Japanese garden during the Heian period i.e 6th century. At Byōdō-in
garden in Kyoto, a wooden bridge connects the Phoenix pavilion with a small island of stones,
representing the Mount Penglai or Mount Horai, the island home of the Eight Immortals of Daoist
teaching, The bridge symbolized the path to paradise and immortality.

 Bridges could be made of stone (ishibashi), or of wood, or made of logs with earth on top, covered
with moss (dobashi);

 They could be either arched (soribashi) or flat (hirabashi).

 Sometimes if they were part of a temple garden, they were painted red, following the Chinese
tradition, but for the most part they were unpainted.

 During the Edo period,i.e. 16th century, when large promenade gardens became popular, streams
and winding paths were constructed, with a series of bridges, usually in a rustic stone or wood
style, to take visitors on a tour of the scenic views of the garden
The bridge at Byōdō-in temple (1052) represented the way to the island of the immortals, and
paradise
Elements – Stone Lanterns and Water Basins
 Originally they were located only at Buddhist temples, where they lined the paths and approaches
to the temple

 Later they were introduced to the tea garden and in later gardens they were used purely for
decoration.

 It represents the five elements of Buddhist cosmology. The piece touching the ground
represents chi, the earth; the next section represents sui, or water; ka or fire, is represented by the
section encasing the lantern's light or flame, while fū (air) and kū (void or spirit) are represented
by the last two sections, top-most and pointing towards the sky. The segments express the idea
that after death our physical bodies will go back to their original, elemental form.
Elements – Stone Lanterns and Water Basins
 Stone water basins, (tsukubai) were originally placed in gardens for visitors to wash their hands
and mouth before the tea ceremony.

 The water is provided to the basin by a bamboo pipe, or kakei, and they usually have a wooden
ladle for drinking the water.

 In tea gardens, the basin was placed low to the ground, so the drinker had to bend over to get his
water.
Elements – Walls, Fences and Gates
 For privacy, for screening unattractive views and for creating a sense of intimacy, a Japanese
garden is enclosed and partitioned by walls, fences or a combination of both.

 Occasionally earth mounds or trees and shrubs are used for screening or providing a backdrop.

 Some fences and walls make a solid barrier others are open and merely suggest divisions or
boundaries. Even the most solid enclosures however may have dips, gaps or windows in them for
capturing scenery borrowed from surrounding areas.

 In its appearance and its degree of visual solidity or openness every successful enclosure or divider
perfectly suits the style of the garden and serve its intended purpose.

 Smilarly, a gate is stylistically united with its wall or fence as well as with the whole garden. It may
offer access to the garden with no sacrifice of privacy or may merely mark a division and provide a
transition between parts of a garden, intensifying the intimacy of each part and the sense of
mystery that a visitor experience in looking toward a partly obscured area.
Elements – Walls, Fences and Gates
Elements – Trees and Flowers
• Nothing in a Japanese garden is natural or left to chance; each plant is chosen according to
aesthetic principles, either to hide undesirable sights, to serve as a backdrop to certain garden
features, or to create a picturesque scene, like a landscape painting or postcard.

• Trees are carefully chosen and arranged for their autumn colors.

• Moss is often used to suggest that the garden is ancient.

• Flowers are also carefully chosen by their season of flowering. Formal flowerbeds are rare in older
gardens, but more common in modern gardens. Some plants are chosen for their religious
symbolism, such as the lotus, sacred in Buddhist teachings, or the pine, which represents
longevity.

• The trees are carefully trimmed to provide attractive scenes, and to prevent them from blocking
other views of the garden. Their growth is also controlled, in a technique called ”Niwaki” to give
them more picturesque shapes, and to make them look more ancient. They are sometimes
constrained to bend, in order to provide shadows or better reflections in the water. Very old pine
trees are often supported by wooden crutches, or their branches are held by cords, to keep them
from breaking under the weight of snow.
Elements – Trees and Flowers
In the late 16th century, a new art was developed in the Japanese garden; that of ōkarikomi, the
technique of trimming bushes into balls or rounded shapes which imitate waves. According to
tradition this art was developed by Kobori Enshū(1579–1647), and it was most frequently practiced
on azalea bushes. It was similar to the topiary gardens made in Europe at the same time, except that
European topiary gardens tried to make trees look like geometric solid objects,
while ōkarkikomi sought to make bushes look as if they were almost liquid, or in flowing natural
shapes. It created an artistic play of light on the surface of the bush, and, according to garden
historian Michel Baridon, "it also brought into play the sense of 'touching things' which even today
succeeds so well in Japanese design.“

The most common trees and plants found in Japanese gardens are the
azalea(tsutsuji),
the camellia(tsubaki),
the oak(kashiwa),
the Japanese apricot(ume),
cherry(sakura),
maple(momiji),
the willow(yanagi),
the ginkgo(ichō),
the Japanese cypress(hinoki),
the Japanese cedar(sugi),
pine(matsu), and
bamboo(take)
Elements – Fish
The use of fish, particularly nishiki-goi(colored carp), or goldfishas a decorative element in gardens
was borrowed from the Chinese garden. Goldfish were developed in China more than a thousand
years ago by selectively breeding Prussian carp for color mutations. By the Song dynasty(960–1279),
yellow, orange, white and red-and-white colorations had been developed. Goldfish were introduced
to Japan in the 16th century. Koi were developed from common carp in Japan in the 1820s. Koi are
domesticated common carp (Cyprinus carpio) that are selected or culled for color; they are not a
different species, and will revert to the original coloration within a few generations if allowed to breed
freely

Fish added sparkle and movement in the still water in the Japanese Garden
Elements – Fish
Design Principles
The early Japanese gardens largely followed the Chinese model, but gradually Japanese gardens
developed their own principles and aesthetics. These were spelled out by a series of landscape gardening
manuals, beginning with :
o Sakuteiki (Notes on Gardening) in the Heian Period (794-1185).
o The principles of sacred gardens, such as the gardens of Zen Buddhist temples,
o Principles of pleasure or promenade gardens;
However, they often contain common elements and used the same techniques. Some basic principles are:
 Miniaturization. The Japanese garden is a miniature and idealized view of nature. Rocks can
represent mountains, and ponds can represent seas. The garden is sometimes made to appear
larger by placing larger rocks and trees in the foreground, and smaller ones in the background.
 Concealment (miegakure, "hide and reveal"). The Zen Buddhist garden is meant to be seen all at
once, but the promenade garden is meant to be seen one landscape at a time, like a scroll of
painted landscapes unrolling. Features are hidden behind hills, trees groves or bamboo, walls or
structures, to be discovered when the visitor follows the winding path.
 Borrowing of scenery ("shakkei"). Smaller gardens are often designed to incorporate the view of
features outside the garden, such as hills, trees or temples, as part of the view. This makes the
garden seem larger than it really is.
 Asymmetry. Japanese gardens are not laid on straight axes, or with a single feature dominating
the view. Buildings and garden features are usually placed to be seen from a diagonal, and are
carefully composed into scenes that contrast right angles, such as buildings with natural features,
and vertical features, such as rocks, bamboo or trees, with horizontal features, such as water.
Garden Style
 Chisen-shoyū-teien or pond garden

 The Paradise Garden

 Karesansui dry rock gardens

 Roji, or tea gardens

 Kaiyū-shiki-teien, or promenade gardens

 Tsubo-niwa courtyard garden

 Hermitage garden
Garden Style – Pond Garden

The chisen-shoyū-teien ("lake-spring-boat

excursion garden") was imported from China
during the Heian period(794–1185).

It is also called the shinden-zukuri style, after

the architectural style of the main building.

It featured a large, ornate residence with

two long wings reaching south to a large lake
and garden. Each wing ended in a pavilion
from which guests could enjoy the views of
the lake. Visitors made tours of the lake in
small boats. These gardens had large lakes
with small islands, where musicians played
during festivals and ceremonies worshippers
could look across the water at the Buddha.

Example: No original gardens of this period

remain, but reconstructions can be seen
at Heian-jingū and Daikaku-ji Temple in
Kyoto
Garden Style – Paradise Garden

The Paradise Garden appeared in the

late Heian period, created by nobles
belonging to the Amida Buddhism sect.

They were meant to symbolize Paradise or

the Pure Land(Jōdo), where the Buddha sat
on a platform contemplating a lotus pond.

These gardens featured a lake island called

Nakajima, where the Buddha hall was
located, connected to the shore by an
arching bridge.

The most famous surviving example is the

garden of the Phoenix Hall of Byōdō-in
Temple, built in 1053, in Uji, near Kyoto.
Garden Style – Dry Rock Garden

Karesansui garden or Japanese rock gardens,

became popular in Japan in the 14th century

Originally it was work of a Buddhist

monk, Musō Soseki(1275–1351) who built
zen gardens at the five major monasteries in
Kyoto.

These gardens have white sand or raked

gravel in place of water, carefully arranged
rocks, and sometimes rocks and sand
covered with moss.

Main purpose of the garden is to facilitate

meditation, and they are meant to be
viewed while seated on the porch of the
residence of the hōjō, the abbot of the
monastery.

Example : Ryōan-ji Temple in Kyoto

Garden Style – Tea Garden

The tea garden was created during the Muromachi period (1333–1573) and Momoyama period
(1573–1600) as a setting for the Japanese tea ceremony, or chanoyu.

The style of garden takes its name from the roji, or path to the teahouse, which is supposed to inspire
the visitor to meditation to prepare him for the ceremony.

There is an outer garden, with a gate and covered arbor where guests wait for the invitation to enter.
They then pass through a gate to the inner garden, where they wash their hands and rinse their
mouth, as they would before entering a Shinto shrine, before going into the teahouse itself.

The path is always kept moist and green, so it will look like a remote mountain path, and there are no
bright flowers that might distract the visitor from his meditation.

Early tea houses had no windows, but later teahouses have a wall which can be opened for a view of
the garden

Example: Traditional teahouse and tea garden at Kenroku-en Garden

Garden Style – Tea Garden
Garden Style – Promenade Garden

Promenade or stroll gardens (landscape gardens in the go-round style) appeared in Japan during
the Edo period, (1600–1854), at the villas of nobles or warlords.

These gardens were designed to complement the houses in the new sukiya-zukuri style of
architecture, which were modeled after the tea house.

These gardens were meant to be seen by following a path clockwise around the lake from one
carefully composed scene to another.

These gardens used two techniques to provide interest; borrowing of scenery ("shakkei"), which took
advantage of views of scenery outside the garden, such as mountains or temples, incorporating them
into the view so the garden looked larger than it really was; and miegakure, or "hide-and-reveal,"
which used winding paths, fences, bamboo and buildings to hide the scenery so the visitor would not
see it until he was at the best view point.

Edo Period gardens also often feature recreations of famous scenery or scenes inspired by
literature; like miniature version of Mount Fuji.

Example: The Rikugi-en Garden in Tokyo creates small landscapes inspired by eighty-eight famous
Japanese poems.[49]
Garden Style – Promenade Garden
Garden Style – Courtyard Garden

These small gardens were originally found in the interior courtyards of Heian period and palaces, and
were designed to give a glimpse of nature and some privacy to the residents of the rear side of the
building.

They were as small as one tsubo, or about 3.3 square meters.

During the Edo period, merchants began building small gardens in the space behind their shops, which
faced the street, and their residences, located at the rear. These tiny gardens were meant to be seen,
not entered, and usually had a stone lantern, a water basin, stepping stones and a few plants.

Today, tsubo-niwa are found in many Japanese residences, hotels, restaurants, and public buildings.

Example : villa of Murin-an in Kyoto(Meiji period)

Garden Style – Courtyard Garden
Garden Style – Hermitage Garden

A hermitage garden is a small garden usually built by a samurai or government official who wanted to
retire from public life and devote himself to study or meditation.

It is attached to a rustic house, and approached by a winding path, which suggests it is deep in a
forest.

It may have a small pond, a Japanese rock garden, and the other features of traditional gardens, in
miniature, designed to create tranquility and inspiration.

Example: Shisen-dō garden in Kyoto, (built by a bureaucrat and scholar exiled by the shogun in the
17th century. It is now a Buddhist temple.)
Garden Style – Hermitage Garden