Japanese Garden

"Garden of pure, clear harmony and peace."

I. Introduction Japanese garden is a type of garden that seeks to recreate or represent nature on a miniature scale. The art of Japanese gardening has developed over centuries and involves distinct concepts, elements, and techniques. The Japanese term for garden is niwa, meaning pure place. By providing a peaceful sanctuary for visitors, these gardens often inspire feelings of serenity and harmony. Japanese gardens are very important to the Japanese. All of the gardens are representations of nature. The purpose of these gardens in to capture nature is the utmost natural way, and do it with a touch of artistic feeling. The Japanese gardens, for the Japanese people, have an ancient history influenced by Shinto, Buddhist and Taoist philosophies. These philosphies are used in the creation of the Japanese Gardens so as to bring a spiritual sense to the gardens. The Buddhist influence makes the garden a quiet place, allowing people to look back and reflect upon themselves, or meditate. The essential elements to a Japanese garden - water, garden plants, stones, waterfalls, trees, and bridges - create this symbolism.

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II History of Japanese Garden The tradition known as Japanese gardening began in China and dates to at least the 1st century BC. Gardens representing legendary or mythic landscapes became fashionable during the Han Dynasty. These early gardens used ponds to symbolize the sea and hills to symbolize islands. The art spread to Japan during the 7th century AD when priests and members of the nobility traveled between Japan, Korea, and China. In Japan the first recorded garden was established in 606. This garden used artificial hills to represent Mount Sumeru, the mythical mountain of the Buddhist universe. During the Asuka period (538-710), gardens were supposed to express Buddhism and Taoism through replicating the mountainous regions in China. Ruins of these types of gardens can be found in Fujiwara and Heijyo castle towns. During the Heian period (794-1185), gardens shifted from solely representing religious beliefs to becoming, "a place for ceremonies, amusement, and contemplation" (Miller). Gardens began to surround mansions that had the shinden-zukuri style. In this style, the garden was located at the front of a building, also known as the south side. As part of the garden style, there was water flowing through artificial passages that eventually spilled into ponds with little islands in them. Very few of these gardens have survived to this day, and thus, are certainly a rarity in modern history. Despite the lack of modern day examples, we have the book of Sakuteiki that describes how people of this era formulated this garden style movement. Later in this period, pure-land-style gardens became popular through the Pure Land Buddhism influence, and these gardens imitated the Paradise in the Western Pureland as a result. During this shift in style, the Japanese also began to model their gardens and homes after the Amitabha hall style instead of the shinden style. Examples of the Amitabha style can be seen today in Mahayana Hall (Nara), Byodoin

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(Uji, Kyoto), the Jyoruri Temple, and Motsuji Temple (Hiraizumi, Nishi, Iwai, Iwate). In the Kamakura and Muromachi periods (1185-1573), a great many gardens were created during these two time periods due to improved garden techniques and the development of Syoinzukuri style. Zen beliefs were also flourishing at this time and had great influences over garden techniques and purposes. Another factor that allowed gardens to flourish stems from the fact that the shoguns simply enjoyed gardens. Dry landscape style also emerged during this time. A notable gardener who appeared during these periods is Soseki Muso: he made Saihoji Temple (Kyoto), Tenruji Temple (Kyoto), and Zuizenji Temple (Kamakura) gardens. After the Muromachi Period, Japanese tea ceremonies became an intricate part of Japanese culture. Sen no Rikyu (1517-1591) created the traditional style of a tea house where there was usually a roji (dewy path) leading to the house. Besides the tea houses, gardens constructed in the Edo period (1603-1868) reflected the tastes and style of each individual shogun ruler. Instead of being a religious symbol, gardens shifted to being a symbol of a shoguns prestige and power (Miller). These tea house styled houses and gardens can be seen in Koishikawa Korakuen (Tokyo), Kenrokuen (Kanazawa), Korakuen (Okayama), Ritsurin Park (Takamsatsu), and Suizenji Park (Kumamoto). In the Meiji period following the modernization of Japan, famous traditional gardens were owned by businessmen and politicians. Some of these extensive gardens are open to public viewing in Murinan (Kyoto) and Chinzanso (Tokyo). Famous gardeners of this period include 7th generation Jihe Ogawa, known as Ueji, and innovative dry landscape garden designer Mirei Shigemori.

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III Styles of the Japanese Garden

Three main styles of Japanese garden eventually developed: hill and pond, dry landscape, and tea garden. The hill-and-pond (Tsukiyama) garden is the original style that began in China. Water, stones, evergreen plants, bridges, and paths are frequently found in hill-and-pond gardens. Tsukiyama Gardens often copy famous landscapes from China or Japan, and they commonly strive to make a smaller garden appear more spacious. This is accomplished by utilizing shrubs to block views of surrounding buildings, and the garden's structure usually tries to make onlookers focus on nearby mountains in the distance. By doing this, it seems that the garden has the mountains as part of its grounds. Ponds, streams, hills, stones, trees, flowers, bridges, and paths are also used frequently in this style.

Dry landscape (Karesansui) gardens are sometimes called flat gardens. Usually simple and small, they are characterized by white sand, raked gravel, and pebbles stylistically arranged to represent nature. The dry landscape style is considered the most abstract. Karesansui Gardens or "dry landscape gardens were influenced mainly by Zen Buddhism and can be found at Zen temples of meditation. Unlike other traditional gardens, there is no water present in Karesansui gardens. However, there -5-

is raked gravel or sand that simulates the feeling of water. The rocks/gravel used are chosen for their artistic shapes, and mosses as well as small shrubs are used to further garnish the Karesansui style. All in all, the rocks and moss are used to represent ponds, islands, boats, seas, rivers, and mountains in an abstract way .

Tea gardens are rustic and intimate with sparse plantings. They typically feature a path of stepping stones leading to an enclosed inner garden or tea house. Japanese gardens can range in size from several acres to a single square foot. Chaniwa Gardens are built for holding tea ceremonies. There is usually a tea house where the ceremonies occur, and the styles of both the hut and garden are based on the simple concepts of the sado. Usually, there are stepping stones leading to the tea house, stone lanterns, and stone basins (tsukubai) where guests purify themselves before a ceremony.

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IV Religious influences on the Japanese Garden Historically, Japanese religious beliefs have influenced the arts, including garden design. According to Shinto, natural objects such as mountains, rivers, and rocks are inhabited by spirits called kami. The garden became a place to worship these nature spirits. As a result, modern Japanese gardens approach nature as an ideal of beauty to be revered. Zen Buddhism later inspired the design of gardens for contemplative or meditative practices. Zen principles are reflected in Japanese gardens through the use of asymmetry, simplicity, and subtlety. Elements in Japanese gardens are usually arranged in odd numbers of seven, five, or three to suggest the asymmetry of nature. Contrasts between slender and massive, vertical and horizontal, smooth and rough stimulate the mind to find its own path to perfection. Japanese revere the sensitivity and creativity required to achieve an exquisite effect by the simplest possible gesture. The simplicity of a Japanese garden results from a willingness to expend enormous amounts of care and resources on every detail to create an atmosphere of unaffected naturalness and tranquility. Nothing in a Japanese garden is ever merely decorative. A simple bamboo fence is lashed together with twine to create a geometric grid that is both sturdy and attractive; a stone lantern accent is placed to illuminate two branches of a path.

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V Basic concepts of the Japanese garden Japanese gardens purposefully incorporate concepts such as space, change, time, and enclosure. Space, or emptiness, serves to define the surrounding forms. Simultaneously the surrounding forms define the emptiness. The concept of change is built into a garden by varying textures and colors, light and dark, what is flowing and what is stable. Time is acknowledged by using sunlight to feature certain elements throughout the day and night, or with the sound of water. Japanese gardens also embrace the unique time of each season, and they are meant to be viewed year-round. Fences and gates create enclosure by separating the pure place of the garden from the outside world. There are certain intrinsic principles that one needs to grasp to successfully capture the spirit of the Japanese garden. Most importantly, nature is the ideal that you must strive for. You can idealize it, even symbolize it, but you must never create something that nature itself cannot. Rocks can represent whole mountains, pools become lakes. A small stretch of raked sand can become an entire ocean. The phrase Less is more was surely first spoken by a garden master. Communicating through implication rather than direct

statements, many Japanese believe that meaning exists beyond what can be described in words. They enjoy viewing their gardens through mist or rain while listening to the sounds of water and insects without seeing their source. Even a flower petal falling to the surface of the lake can suggest the ephemeral nature of life. To allow freedom for the imagination, Japanese gardens are monochromatic compositions of greens, browns, and blacks with color used only as an accent. Rocks, the backbone of the garden, are carefully chosen for dark tones to suggest age and mystery. The stones are deeply

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buried, with their grain following the horizontal contours of the earth to convey balance and strength. Elements in Japanese gardens are usually arranged in odd numbers of seven, five, or three to suggest the asymmetry of nature. Contrasts between slender and massive, vertical and horizontal, smooth and rough stimulate the mind to find its own path to perfection. Japanese revere the sensitivity and creativity required to achieve an exquisite effect by the simplest possible gesture. The simplicity of a Japanese garden results from a willingness to expend enormous amounts of care and resources on every detail to create an atmosphere of unaffected naturalness and tranquility. Nothing in a Japanese garden is ever merely decorative. A simple bamboo fence is lashed together with twine to create a geometric grid that is both sturdy and attractive; a stone lantern accent is placed to illuminate two branches of a path.

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VI Main Elements of the Japanese Garden Japanese gardens are typically constructed from three main elementsstone, water, and plantsbut fire may also appear in the form of lanterns. Stones and boulders are the foundation of the garden. They are carefully chosen based on shape, slope, texture, color, and appearance. They are arranged in groups or stand alone, and may represent mountains or islands. The taste for the beauty of the stones presents in Japan a particular refinement and represents an essential element of the tea ceremony. The stone has a impressive robustness and polished or processed it is emanating the brilliance and the elegance of culture. The lanterns made also from stone are mysterious presences in the garden that are protecting the fires lighted by faithful or are illuminating the nocturnal tea ceremonies. With the stones help, the sinuous alleys are traced to model the steps in a special rhythm that permits the contemplation of the garden landscape. Water symbolizes purity. It appears in the form of ponds, waterfalls, or streams. Water is also included in dry landscape gardens, where ponds are represented by raked gravel and where smooth river stones laid tightly together can symbolize a stream. Japan is an island nation blessed with abundant rainfall. It is therefore not suprising that water is an intrinsic part of every garden. Even in the karesansui garden, the raked gravel represents water. Flat river stones, laid tightly together, symbolize a rushing stream. In the tea garden, void of stream or pond, water plays the most important role as one stops to perform the ritual cleansing at the chozubachi, or water basin. As the water fills and empties from the shishi-odoki, or deer scare, the clack of bamboo on rock helps mark the passage of time. This is the deeper meaning of water in the Japanese garden. The sight and sound of its inexorable flow are there to remind us of the relentless passage of time. A bridge often crosses the

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water. Like the pathway, bridges denote a journey. The word for bridge, hashi, is also the word for edge. Bridges are symbolic of moving from one world into another, a theme found throughout Japanese art. Plants and flowers are chosen based on size, color, form, and texture. Native trees, shrubs, and perennials are considered more appropriate than exotic plants. In the gardens of Japan it is common to find pines, cherries, maples, bamboo, and bonsai. While aesthetic qualities play a role in plant selection, flowers are never used as decoration alone. While plants play a secondary role to the stones in the garden, they are still a primary concern in the design. While the stones represent unchanging permanence, the trees, shrubs, and perennials help to display the passing of each season. The earlier garden styles actually used plants to conjure up poetic connotations or to correct geomantic inadequacies, but these have little meaning today. Paths and bridges are often found in Japanese gardens. Paths symbolize the journey through life and can be formed with gravel or stepping stones. Bends in a path offer opportunities for viewing, reflection, and meditation. Bridges over streams or ponds are usually made of stone or wood. People are also considered part of the Japanese garden. Their role is to observe.

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VII. Contents: I. Introduction.........................................................................2 II. History of Japanese Garden.3 III. Styles of the Japanese Garden.5 IV. Religious influences on the Japanese Garden ...................7 V. Basic concepts of the Japanese garden ..............................8 VI. Main Elements of the Japanese Garden ...........................10

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Bibliography:

www.encarta.com www.Wikipedia.com www.helpfulgardener.com

Student : Atasiei Mihaela Grupa : 454 Anul : I - 13 -