Japanese garden
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Stone lantern amid plants. The shape of the roof will trap and hold a picturesque cap of snow. |
Japanese gardens (
Kanji 日本庭園, nihon teien), i.e. gardens in traditional Japanese style, can be found at private homes, in neighborhood or city parks, at
Buddhist temples or
Shinto shrines, and at historical
landmarks such as old
castles. Many of the Japanese gardens most famous in the West, and within Japan as well, are dry gardens or
rock gardens,
karesansui. The tradition of the
Tea masters has produced highly refined Japanese gardens of quite another style, evoking rural simplicity. Japanese gardens have also been imitated in Western gardening.
Typical Japanese gardens contain several of these elements, real or symbolic:
* Water
* An island
* A bridge to the island
* A lantern, typically of stone
* A teahouse or pavilion
Japanese gardens might fall into one of these styles:
* Pond gardens, for viewing from a boat.
* Sitting gardens, for viewing from inside a building or on a veranda.
* Tea gardens, for viewing from a path which leads to a tea ceremony hut.
* Strolling gardens, for viewing from a path which circumnavigates the garden.
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Karesansui garden at Tōfuku-ji in Kyōto |
The
karesansui (or
karesenzui,
kosansui,
kosensui 枯山水: "dry landscape") style originate from
zen temples. These have no water and few plants, but typically evoke a feeling of water using pebbles and meticulously raked
gravel or sand. Rocks chosen for their intriguing shapes and patterns, mosses, and low shrubs typify the
karesansui style. The garden at
Ryōan-ji, a temple in
Kyoto, is particularly renowned.
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This garden has an abundance of plants, including seasonal flowers. |
Other gardens also use similar rocks for decoration. Some of these come from distant parts of Japan. In addition,
bamboos and related plants, evergreens including
Japanese black pine, and such deciduous trees as
maples grow above a carpet of
ferns and
mosses.
Shakkei (借景), "borrowed scenery," is a technique used to integrate the garden with mountains, buildings, or other objects outside its boundaries. A middleground element, often carefully maintained plantings, blocks unwanted elements and frames the desired view. This middleground integrates the "borrowed" view into the garden's design. The viewer is encouraged to see all three areas - foreground, middleground, and background - as a single garden.
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Stone lanterns in Monte Palace Tropical Garden on Madeira |
Though often thought of as tranquil sanctuaries that allow individuals to escape from the stresses of daily life, Japanese gardens are designed for a variety of purposes. Most gardens invite quiet contemplation, but may have also been intended for recreation, the display of rare plant specimens, or the exhibition of unusual rocks.
Strolling GardensThis garden style requires the observer to walk through the garden to fully appreciate it. A premeditated path takes observers through each unique area of a Japanese garden. Uneven surfaces are placed in specific spaces to prompt people to look down at particular points. When the observer looks up, they will see an eye-catching ornamentationwhich is intented to enlighten and revive the spirit of the observer.
Japanese legend attests that stones are actual beings with spirits that need to be treated with reverence. Stones are used to construct the garden's paths, bridges, and walkways. Stones also represent mountains where actual mountains are not viewable or present. They are always placed in odd numbers and a majority of the groupings reflect triangular shapes.
A water source in a Japanese garden should appear to be part of the natural surroundings; this is why one will not find fountains in traditional gardens. Man-made streams are built with curves and irregularities to create a serene and natural appearance. Lanterns are often placed beside some of the most promeinent water basins(either a pond or a stream) in a garden representing the female and the male elements of water and fire. In Japanese tradition this is known as yin and yang. In some gardens one will find a dry pond or stream. Dry Ponds and streams have as much impact as do the ones filled with water.
Green plants are the third element of Japanese gardens. Japanese traditions prefer minimal color so the use of flowers is generally parsimonious. Plants with colorful blooms are mostly used near a garden's entrance. Many plants in imitated Japanese gardens of the West are indigenous to Japan, though some sacrifices must be made to account for the differentiating climates. Some plants, such as sugar maple and firebush, give the garden a palet of color on a seasonal basis.
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A strolling garden |
In Japan*
Hosokawa Gyōbu-tei in
Kumamoto,
Kumamoto Prefecture*
Kairaku-en in
Mito,
Ibaraki Prefecture*
Kenroku-en in
Kanazawa,
Ishikawa Prefecture*
Kōkyo Higashi Gyoen, the East Garden of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo
*
Kōraku-en in
Okayama,
Okayama Prefecture* The
moss garden of
Saihō-ji in
Kyoto*
Sankei-en in
Yokohama,
Kanagawa Prefecture*
Shugaku-in Imperial Villa,
Saihō-ji (the "Moss Temple"), in
Kyoto* Urakuen tea garden,
Inuyama* The grounds of the
Meiji Shrine, in
TokyoIn the United States*
Anderson Japanese Gardens (
Rockford, Illinois)
*
Chicago Botanic Garden (
Glencoe, Illinois)
*
Fort Worth Japanese Garden at the
Fort Worth Botanic Garden (
Fort Worth, Texas)
*
Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden at
Long Beach State*
Hakone Gardens (
Saratoga, California)
*
The Huntington,
San Marino,
California.
*
Japanese Tea Garden at
Golden Gate Park (
San Francisco, California)
*
Portland Japanese Garden,
Portland, Oregon *
Japanese Friendship Garden (
Phoenix, Arizona)
*
Roji-en Japanese Gardens at the
Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens (
Delray Beach, Florida)
*
San Antonio Japanese Tea Gardens (
San Antonio, Texas)
*
Seattle Japanese Garden at the
Washington Park Arboretum,
Kubota Garden (
Seattle, Washington)
*
Seiwa-en at the
Missouri Botanical Garden (
St. Louis, Missouri)
In Argentina *The
Buenos Aires Japanese Garden (
Jardín Japonés de Buenos Aires http://www.jardinjapones.org.ar/portada.htm), of the
Fundación Cultural Argentino Japonesa [
1].
In Australia*
Himeji Gardens, Adelaide* At
Cowra, New South Wales*
Melbourne Zoo*
Frankston High SchoolIn Canada*
Nitobe Memorial Garden,
Vancouver,
British ColumbiaIn Ireland* The
Japanese Gardens at the Irish National Stud,
Kildare,
Co. Kildare*
Japanese Friendship Garden*
Tea garden*
Chinese garden*
Korean gardens*
Jgarden " Japanese Garden Database *
Meditations on the Japanese Garden*
About Japanese Gardens " Pictures of Private and Public Japanese Gardens*
Paradise - The Gardens of Tokyo : a portfolio of photographs by Tim Porter*
Singapore Lifestyle Wiki - Japanese Garden in Singapore
