INTRODUCTION

 The art of gardening is believed to be an important part of Japanese culture for many centuries.

 Shinto, Buddhism and Taoism were used in the creation of different garden styles in order to
bring a spiritual sense to the gardens and make them places where people could spend their
time in a peaceful way and meditate

 Core values of Japanese gardening have been largely shaped by Chinese culture and
tradition.

 Religion in particular Buddhism ,also had a major influence on Japanese gardening.

 According to Shintoism ,the native religion of Japan everything in nature is sacred;

trees, plants, and rocks.

 They used white gravel in temples as to keep areas clean and white as a means of enticing
the spirits and gods to visit these places.

 Shintoism is not much the worship of rocks ,but the veneration of the spirit that
created those objects.
CHRONOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT
CHRONOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT
550-710  The history of the Japanese gardens goes back to around the 7th
century. The first Japanese gardens, that expressed Shinto, Buddhism
and Taoism visions can be traced back to the Asuka Period. They were
designed to capture the landscape in its natural form. From this period
the basic rules of designing gardens was established.
794-1185  Heian Period is the second very important chapter in the development
of Japanese garden art. Aristocratic style of gardens where created in
front of the mansion with artificial ponds and islands.
1185-1333  During the Kamakura Period and Muromachi Period garden-making
techniques improved considerably because of the rise of the Zen style.
1338-1573 Many gardens designed in that time were properties of successive
shoguns and daimios, who belong to the highest class in Japanese
society.
1603- 1867  Edo Period - the design ideas underlying the tea garden came to be
used on a palatial scale, resulting in the stroll garden, with carefully
composed sequences of landscape views.
1868-1912  Meijii Period - the stroll garden style was adopted by the rising class of
industrialists and merchants who became the new holders of wealth
and power. Famous gardens created after Meiji Period were frequented
by business people and politicians. Most of them are opened to the
public now and play a role in city parks.
 Tsukiyama

1. Tsukiyama 築山 is a term to denote a hill garden

as opposed to a flat garden (hiraniwa 平庭).
Tsukiyama gardens typically feature an artificial hill
combined with a pond and a stream and various
plants, shrubs, and trees. Such gardens can be
viewed from various vantage points as you stroll
along the garden paths, or appreciated from a
particular temple building or house on the grounds.
2. Representative examples can be found at Tenryuji
Temple and Saihoji Temple, both in Kyoto.
3. Tsukiyama literally means constructed
mountain. The older term was kasan 仮山
(artificial mountain). Tsukiyama gardens became
particularly popular in the early Edo period.
4. One common type of Tsukiyama garden is the
tortoise and crane garden, which typically shows
these fortuitous creatures on two separate islands,
together with an isle of eternal youth.
5. Representative examples can be found at Daigoji
Sanboin Temple and Kodaiji Temple, both in Kyoto.
In Chinese and Japanese mythology, the turtle and
crane are symbols of long life and happiness.
 Karesansui

1. Karesansui 枯山水 (dry landscape gardens, also

known as rock gardens and waterless stream
gardens) are typically associated with Zen
Buddhism, and often found in the front or rear
gardens at the residences (houjou 方丈) of Zen
abbots. The main elements of karesansui are rocks
and sand, with the sea symbolized not by water but
by sand raked in patterns that suggest rippling
water.
2. Representative examples are the gardens of
Ryoanji Temple and Daitokuji Temple, both in
Kyoto.
3. Plants are much less important (and sometimes
nonexistent) in many karesansui gardens.
4. Karesansui gardens are often, but not always,
meant to be viewed from a single, seated
perspective, and the rocks are often associated
with and named after various Chinese mountains.
5. The first-ever Zen landscape garden in Japan is
credited to Kenchoji Temple in Kamakura. Founded
in 1251, this temple was the chief monastery for
the five great Zen monasteries that thrived during
the Kamakura era (1185-1333). It became the
center of Zen Buddhism thanks to strong state
patronage.
 Chaniwa

1. Chaniwa 茶庭. With the introduction of the tea

ceremony in the 14th century AD, the chaniwa
(garden attached to the tea-ceremony house) also
began to appear in Japan.
2. In many cases, the chaniwa is not really a full-
fledged garden, but rather a narrow path leading up
to the chashitsu (the main tea room).
3. The placement of the stepping stones that lead to
the main tea room is a hallmark feature of this
garden type. Chaniwa also feature stone
lanterns and stone water basins (tsukubai), where
guests purify themselves before partaking in the
tea ceremony.
4. The aim of the chaniwa designer is to create a
feeling of solitude and detachment from the world,
one that matches the aesthetic simplicity of the tea
ceremony (Jp. = sadou or chadou 茶道).
5. In Zen, minimalism and silent meditation are
important ways to achieve enlightenment. Chaniwa
gardens are not typically open to the public.
 Zen, Tea, and Daruma

Zen, Tea, and Daruma

The tea ceremony is closely associated with Zen
Buddhism and the Indian sage Daruma (Bodhidharma).
Daruma is the undisputed founder of Zen Buddhism,
and credited with Zen's introduction to China during his
travels to the Middle Kingdom sometime in the 5th or
6th century AD.
1. Zen was introduced to Japan early in the
Kamakura Era (1185-1333) and became a favorite
of the new Warrior Class (samurai) who had
wrested power from the nobility.
2. The primary aim of Zen Buddhism is personal
enlightenment, and according to Daruma,
enlightenment cannot be found in books or sutras
or in performing rituals.
3. Rather, it is to be found within the self through
meditation.
4. Daruma taught that within each of us is the
Buddha, and that meditation can help us remember
our Buddha nature. By clearing our minds of
distracting thoughts, by striving for a mental state
free of material concerns, we will rediscover our
lost but true Buddha nature.
 DESIGN PRINCIPLES

• Natural: That should make the garden

look as if it grew by itself
• Asymmetry: That creates the impression
of it being natural
• Odd numbers: Like three, five or seven;
that support the effect of the asymmetry.
• Simplicity: That follows the idea of 'less is
more'
• Triangle: That is the most common shape
for compositions made of stones, plants,
etc.
• Contrast: That creates tension between
elements
• Lines: That can create both tranquillity
and tension
• Curves: That softens the effect
• Openness: That indicates interaction
between all elements
• A common design principle found in most Japanese garden is the use of
asymmetry.

• Plants and trees are often arranged in an asymmetric fashion, as are fences and
hedges.

• The clever use of space is unique where empty spaces are deliberately left
unfiled to create feeling of spaciousness and uncluttered calm.

• Balance, the proportions and spaces are an essential design principle.

 ESSENTIAL ASPECTS
• The line between garden and its surrounding landscape is not distinct.
• In the Japanese garden, the viewer should consider nature as a
picture frame into which the garden, or the man- made work of art, is
inserted.
• In Japan, the five islands of the Chinese
legend became one island, called Horai-zen, SYMBOLISM
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 of
the Chinese gardens, but gradually Japanese
garden designers began to develop their own
aesthetics, based on Japanese materials and
Japanese culture.
• Plants are represented by moss that
surrounds the rock.
• Water is represented by raked gravel.
• In spring one revels in the bright green of
new buds and the blossoms of the azaleas.
• Fall wrests the brilliant colors from dying
leaves as they slip into the deathly hush of
winter, the garden buried under a shroud of
snow.
• Winters is as much a garden season in Japan
as spring. The Japanese refer to snow piled
on the branches of trees a sekku, or snow
blossoms, and there is a lantern known as
yukimi that is named the snow viewing
lantern.
 PLANTS
• Japanese garden is predominately green
with its use of evergreen trees.
• The trees and plants are chosen not just
for their beauty and gracefulness but
also for their symbolism.
• The deep greens of pines symbolize
timeless and longevity, while the colors
of the maples and cherries reflect the
changing seasons.
• Cherry (Prunus serrulata) and plum
trees are extensively used in Japanese
gardens. Both flowers in early April.
 ROCKS
• The rocks are like the coordinates of a
garden project.
• Choosing the right type of rock and
positioning them on right place.
• Size is meaningful only when viewed in
the context of the scale of the garden
& its relationship with the neighboring
rocks and other artifacts.
• Rocks are often used to represent
islands and mountains, so conical or
dome shape would be the obvious
choice.
• Colors, generally bright colors are
avoided.
• Smooth rocks like water worn stones
or glacial boulders convey the feeling
of antiquity especially when combined
in an interesting shape
 WATER OR IKE
• Water is used not just for its visual
quality, but also for its sound.
• The Japanese have learnt to exploit the
sound of water in all its various form. it
varies from powerful
waterfall to water falling into a water
basin, creating different emotions.
• It represents the sea, lake, pond or
river in nature.
• Non geometrical in appearance; in order
to preserve the natural shapes, man-
made ponds are asymmetrical.
• The bank of the pond is usually
bordered by stones.
• A fountain is sometimes found at the
bottom of a hill or hillside or secluded
forest. Wells are sometimes found in a
Japanese garden.
 PATHS OR TOBI ISHI

Usually used in tea gardens.

• Flat stepping stones served to
preserve the grass as well as orient
the viewer to a specific visual
experience.
• Step- stones are found near the
veranda or entrance of the house
or tea room. The visitor of the
house or room is expected to place
his shoes on the step- stone before
entering.
 WATER BASINS
• The basins vary from
simple depressions in
uncut stone to elaborate
carved stone creations,
and are usually provided
with a bamboo dipper for
scooping up water. Two
kinds of stone water
basins-
• Kazari- chozubachi,
which is kept near the
verandah
• Tsukubai for tea garden
• Stone lanterns are placed
besides prominent water
basins whose luminance
underscored the
unfinished beauty of the
tea aesthetic.
 FENCES AND WALLS
 There are three types of
fences:
 The short fence which extends
from the house into the
garden
 An inner fence and an outer
fence.
 Short fences or sodegaki are
screens that hide unwanted
views or objects.
 They are about 6 or 7 feet
high.
 Add color and texture to the
garden.
 Materials used are bamboo,
 wood and twigs of bamboo
or tree.
 THE STROLL GARDENS
 Legacy of ancient Chinese imperial park tradition.
 The imperial hunting parks complete with vast man-made lakes and
miniature mountains and islands.
 The imperial gardens were created on a massive scale and filled with
all manner of choice indigenous plants, shrubs, and trees.
 Stroll gardens are by definition gardens for walking in. Here visitors can enjoy
a leisurely stroll taking in all beautiful scenery. All the ingredients that make
a Japanese garden are here- rocks, plants, and water.
Eg: Kanazaw's Kenrokuen, Okayama's Korakuen, Koishikawa Korakuen
 THE ZEN TEMPLE GARDENS
• Also described as “gardens of emptiness”.
• Generally, a garden that has nothing but a few bare rocks in patch of
sand.
• These gardens were uncluttered and reduced to the bare minimum.
• Some refer to them as mini-malsit gardens also.
• Also called “Kare-sansui” which means empty landscape.
• Zen warriors(highly educated) developed a very sophisticated and refined
sense of artistic taste and that combined with their very simple and frugal life
style evolved into the characteristic Zen style that we know today. Eg:
Ryoanji, Daitokuji, Tenryuji and Kokedera
 TEA GARDENS
• On first impression tea garden appears to be simply a small Japanese
garden consisting of a few stepping stones plus a lantern, water basin
and tiny hut.
• The traditional tea garden is in fact two garden in one.
• There is the simple outer garden, where guest gather in a waiting area,
and the inner garden that contains the tea house.
• The outer garden is approached by a stepping stone path, lit by a rough
stone lantern.
• The tea garden is essentially a small garden no bigger than the passage
way of a normal suburban house including the backyard.
• The stepping stone path leads to the waiting area which has a simple
hut like structure with a bench often referred to as the waiting pavilion.
• The entrance area, which incorporates the stepping stonepath is the
outer garden.
• Beyond this is the inner garden which has the tea house. Eg: Kotoin
Temple in Kyoto
 COURTYARD GARDENS
• The Japanese courtyards are not large areas,
in fact are very small spaces seldom more
than fifty to a hundred square feet in size.

• A simple arrangement of gravel and a few

rocks or just a minimalist planting of
bamboo or rush will do the trick.

• The scale of courtyard garden makes it

ideally suited for indoor, roof top and atrium
situations.

• The elements of a courtyard garden are

similar to the elements of a tea garden,
however more shade tolerant plants are
used.
• The design principles of traditional
Japanese courtyard gardens, are very
suited for creating contemporary small
spaces on roofs or terraces.
Tsuboniwa (Merchant House
in Naramachi
RYOANJI TEMPLE (built 1488 onward)
8

9
 6 3

The garden consists of a rectangular plot of pebbles surrounded by low earthen walls, with
15 rocks laid out in small groups on patches of moss. An interesting feature of the garden's
design is that from any vantage point at least one of the rocks is always hidden from the
viewer.
Ryoan-ji is the most famous and most austere Zen Buddhist garden. A rectangular
space is bounded on two sides by a verandah and on the other two sides by walls.
Within, the space is covered by raked quartz. Raking produces a pattern around 15
rocks in 5 groups in a significant mathematical relationship They are of 5, 2, 3, 2 and 3
rocks, which link the observer to an abstract conception of nature.
Ryoanji's garden is viewed from the Hojo, the head priest's former residence. Besides the
stone garden, the Hojo features some paintings on the sliding doors (fusuma) of
its tatami rooms, and a couple of smaller gardens on the rear side of the building. In one of
the gardens there is a round stone trough that cleverly incorporates its square water basin
into a Zen inscription, which students of kanji may be able to appreciate. The Hojo is
connected to the Kuri, the former temple kitchen, which now serves as the temple's main
entrance. tatami a rush-covered straw mat forming a traditional Japanese floor covering.
kanji a system of Japanese writing using Chinese characters, used primarily for content words.
Hojo- a member of a powerful family in Japan that ruled as regents in the name of the shoguns during the period 1203–1333.
Kuri- chestnut
Climate Analysis
GINKA-KU-JI TEMPLE (built 1484-90 onward)
D

View from C
 View from next to E

Looking through the gate towards

View from A, looking inwards- Inward gate Kogetsudai (Moon viewing platform)
 Kannon Hall/
Ginkaku Hojo (Abbott’s quarters)

Ginsadan (Sea
of silver sand)
Togudo (Hall of Eastern Quest)

Ginkakuji is one of the outstanding temples of the Muromachi era (1338-1573). Located in the
foothills on the east side of Kyoto, the temple is famous for its two-story Kannon Hall, the Silver
Pavilion, which takes its name from the anecdote that Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the
temple's patron, intended to cover the pavilion with silver leaf in imitation of the Golden Pavilion
(Kinkakuji) built by his grandfather. Although no silver was ever applied, the name lives on.
• Also known as Rokuon-ji, is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto,
Japan.
• The Golden Pavilion is a three-story building on the grounds of
the Rokuon-ji
temple complex.
• The top two stories of the pavilion are covered with pure gold
leaf.
• The Golden Pavilion is set in a magnificent Japanese strolling
garden.
• The pavilion extends over a pond, called Kyoko-chi (Mirror
Pond), that reflects the building.
• The Kinkaku-ji grounds were built according to descriptions of
the Western
Paradise of the Buddha Amida, intending to illustrate a harmony
between
heaven and earth.
• The largest islet in the pond represents the Japanese islands.
• The four stones forming a straight line in the pond near the
pavilion are intended to represent sailboats anchored at night,
bound for the Isle of Eternal Life in Chinese mythology.
• The Kyoko-chi pond spreads in the central of the garden (south) with
the Kinugasa-yama mountain (north) in the background.
• Inside the pond are eight vary sized islands or famous rocks
dedicated by feudal lords of that time, expressing the Land of
Happiness by likening it to the Shichiho-ike pond drawn in the Jyodo
(paradise) mandala.

• The gorgeous Golden pavilion symbols the Land of Happiness.

 PLANNING
• The pond reflects the Golden Pavilion like a mirror, and makes the gorgeous
Golden Pavilion shine even more.
• The rustic thatch-roofed building stands in great contrast to the shiny Golden
Pavilion.

• The water falls in the Kinkaku-ji garden drop a distance of 2.3 meters before
emptying into the pool. In the pool are stones resembling carp (rigyoseki), in
reference to the ancient Chinese myth that when carp climb up waterfalls
they transform into dragons. The dragon itself is exemplified by the diagonal
rock seeming to rise up out of the water at the base of the falls.
 Tranquillity Pond (Anmintaku, also known as Ushitaku and Bôuntaku) is a smallpool
surrounded by trees.
 Because it never dried up, even during droughts, the pond was also used as a spot
at which to pray for rain.
 In the centre is a small island with a five-element stupa known as the White Snake
Mound.
• In the front garden of the Abbot's Quarters is a kochô wabisuke tree planted by
Emperor Gomizunoo. This is the oldest living example of a kochô wabisuke tree, whic
is a variety of camella.
 INTRODUCTION
 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.
 These intimate spaces are
created to provide a serene
entrance to a home and are
based on the principles of
Japanese tea gardens.
 Carefully selected shaped trees
and shrubs usually form the basis
of these tiny gardens and often
the plantings are usually shade
loving since they are surrounded
by buildings.
 Tsubo-niwa are not only for
courtyards, but for any small
space such as a rooftop garden,
narrow space between buildings
or a pathway. The concept
translates particularly well to
urban spaces.
 Tsubo niwa do not need to be
made of bamboo and stone
lanterns.
 They are entirely enclosed by
rooms or garden walls.
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http://www.japanorbit.com/japanese-culture/japanese-garden.html

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