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| The moss garden at the Saihō-ji temple in Kyoto, started in 1339. |
Japanese gardens (JG) are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape.
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| Ise Jingu, a Shinto shrine begun in the 7th century, surrounded by white gravel |
Origins
The ideas central to Japanese gardens were first introduced to Japan during the Asuka period (c. 6th to 7th century). Japanese merchants witnessed the gardens that were being built in China and brought many of the Chinese gardening techniques and styles back home.
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| An 18th century print showing the exterior of the Rotunda at Ranelagh |
The earliest recorded Japanese gardens were the pleasure gardens of the Emperors and nobles. A pleasure garden today, insofar as the term is still used, usually means a park or garden that is open to the public for recreation and entertainment. Pleasure gardens differ from other public gardens by serving as venues for entertainment, variously featuring such attractions as concert halls, bandstands, amusement rides, zoos, and menageries.
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| A view of the Eastern Palace gardens main pavilion. |
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| Jōdo-shiki garden |
In 794 CE, at the beginning of the Heian period (794-1185 CE), the Japanese court moved its capital to Heian-kyō (present-day Kyoto). During this period, there were three different kinds of gardens: palace gardens and the gardens of nobles in the capital, the gardens of villas at the edge of the city, and the gardens of temples.
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| Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion (1398) |
The weakness of the Emperors and the rivalry of feudal warlords resulted in two civil wars (1156 and 1159), which destroyed most of Kyoto and its gardens. The capital moved to Kamakura, and then in 1336 back to the Muromachi quarter of Kyoto.
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| The garden at Tokushima Castle (1592) on the island of Shikoku features water and enormous rocks. |
The Momoyama period was short, just 32 years, and was largely occupied with the wars between the daimyōs, the leaders of the feudal Japanese clans. The new centers of power and culture in Japan were the fortified castles of the daimyōs, around which new cities and gardens appeared.
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| The garden of Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto (1641 - 1662), the prototype for the promenade, or stroll garden |
During the Edo period, power was won and consolidated by the Tokugawa clan, who became the Shoguns, and moved the capital to Edo, which became Tokyo. The Emperor remained in Kyoto as a figurehead leader, with authority only over cultural and religious affairs.
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| The spring-fed pond at Suizen-ji Jōju-en garden (1636), whose water was reputed to be excellent for making tea |
Japanese gardens are distinctive in their symbolism of nature, with traditional Japanese gardens being very different in style from occidental gardens: "Western gardens are typically optimised for visual appeal while Japanese gardens are modelled with spiritual and philosophical ideas in mind."Japanese gardens are conceived as a representation of a natural setting, tying in to Japanese connections between the land and Shinto spiritualism, where spirits are commonly found in nature; as such, Japanese gardens tend to incorporate natural materials, with the aim of creating a space that captures the beauties of nature in a realistic manner. Traditional Japanese gardens can be categorized into three types: tsukiyama (hill gardens), karesansui (dry gardens) and chaniwa gardens (tea gardens). The small space given to create these gardens usually poses a challenge for the gardeners. Due to the absolute importance of the arrangement of natural rocks and trees, finding the right material becomes highly selective. The serenity of a Japanese landscape and the simple but deliberate structures of the Japanese gardens are a unique quality, with the two most important principles of garden design being "scaled reduction and symbolization"
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| Rocks in the Garden of the Blissful Mountain at Daitoku-ji |
Rock, sand and gravel are an essential feature of the Japanese garden. A vertical rock may represent Mount Horai, the legendary home of the Eight Immortals, or Mount Sumeru of Buddhist teaching, or a carp jumping from the water. A flat rock might represent the earth. Sand or gravel can represent a beach, or a flowing river. 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.
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| Kenroku-en in Kanazawa |
The Meiji period saw the modernization of Japan, and the re-opening of Japan to the west. Many of the old private gardens had been abandoned and left to ruin. In 1871, a new law transformed many gardens from the earlier Edo period into public parks, preserving them.
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| The bridge at Byōdō-in temple (1052) represented the way to the island of the immortals, and paradise |
Bridges first appeared in the Japanese garden during the Heian period. At the 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.
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| Lantern in Shukkei-en garden in Hiroshima. |
Japanese stone lanterns date back to the Nara period and the Heian period. Originally they were located only at Buddhist temples, where they lined the paths and approaches to the temple, but in the Heian period they began to be used at Shinto shrines as well. According to tradition, during the Momoyama period they were introduced to the tea garden by the first great tea masters, and in later gardens they were used purely for decoration.
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| Tōfuku-ji, A modern Japanese garden from 1934, designed by Mirei Shigemori, built on grounds of a 13th-century Zen temple in Kyoto |
During the Showa period (1926 - 1989), many traditional gardens were built by businessmen and politicians. After World War II, the principal builders of gardens were no longer private individuals, but banks, hotels, universities and government agencies.
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| Momiji in the temple of Ginkaku-ji, Kyoto |
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. 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.
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| Nishiki-goi in the Ise Grand Shrine 2005. |
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| Sacred garden at Mission San Juan Capistrano in California |
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 Sakuteiki ("Records of Garden Making") in the Heian Period (794 - 1185). The principles of sacred gardens, such as the gardens of Zen Buddhist temples, were different from those of pleasure or promenade gardens; for example, Zen Buddhist gardens were designed to be seen, while seated, from a platform with a view of the whole garden, without entering it, while promenade gardens were meant to be seen by walking through the garden and stopping at a series of view points. However, they often contain common elements and used the same techniques.
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| Heian-jingū is a recreation of the old imperial pond garden of Kyoto |
Chisen-shoyū-teien or 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. No original gardens of this period remain, but reconstructions can be seen at Heian-jingū and Daikaku-ji temple in Kyoto.
It’s no surprise that the interest in Japanese garden ideas is growing fast as we all look for ways to create a truly calm and relaxing outdoor space. Known for their tea gardens, contemplative rock and gravel areas and bamboo water features, it’s easy to see why Japanese gardens captivate so many, but there are plenty of other clever design ideas we can discover and use too.
