Japanese gardens

Japanese
Landscape…
 Introduction

• Japanese gardens are a combination of

many complex factors like history , social
structure and religion.
• The Japanese people were relatively late
developers in the field of horticulture and
creating gardens when compared with
other civilizations.
• 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.
 Types of Japanese Gardens
• The large park or stroll gardens (which are in effect public parks with
ponds and lakes).
• The Zen temple gardens (which are usually dry landscape gardens).
• Tea gardens.
• Courtyard gardens.
• 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.
• Zen Gardens
• Also described as “gardens of emptiness”, Not gardens in conventional sense
of word, but sublime works of art.
• Generally, a garden that has nothing but a few bare rocks in patch of sand.
• Their 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 land scape.
• 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.
• Tea gardens
• Zen religion and the tea ceremony.
• Characteristics

• 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 stone path is the outer
garden.
• Beyond this is the inner garden, which
has the tea house
• Courtyard garden
• 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.
DESIGN PRINCIPLE
• 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.
• Symbolism
• In this type of garden you will not find any plant or water but it is present in
a symbolic sense:
• Plants are represented by moss
that surrounds the rock.

• Water is represented by raked

gravel
• Elements of Japanese garden
• There are three indispensable or key elements
without which a Japanese garden cannot be
made:
• Rocks
• Plants
• Water
• Other subsidiary elements:
• Fences
• Gates
• Lanterns
• Paths
• Plants
• 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.
• Pinus thumbergii (black pine): it is the
most popular pine for garden work in
Japan.

• The needles are deep green and the

bark almost jet black.
• Moss:
• It is a primitive plant and there are
many different varieties in existence.
• Moss needs damp shady conditions in
order to flourish.
• In constantly dry, sunny aspect, it will not
grow.
• moss is most often found in woodland
area under the shade of trees where
nothing else will grow.
• In damp conditions moss will grow
naturally without any help from men.
• Rocks
• The rocks are like the coordinates of a garden project.
• Choosing the right type of rock and positioning them on right place.
 Choice of rocks: size shape color, and
texture…
• Size is meaningful only when
viewed in the context of the scale
of the garden & its relationship
with the neighboring rocks and
other artifacts.
• Variation in rock sizes offer
greater contrast & interest
resulting in the more dynamic
arrangement of rocks.
• 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.
• Color of rocks generally varies from grey to black, and from yellow to brick
red on other hand.
• Texture, one of the vital characteristics of any rock.
• A jagged textured rock gives feeling of timelessness and dignity.
• Smooth rocks like water worn stones or glacial boulders convey the feeling of
antiquity especially when combined in an interesting shape.
•
Placement of rocks :
Placing of rocks in Japanese gardens is quite rhythmic just like a music
composition where individual rocks acts as musical notes.
• Certain guidelines or ground rules are followed to achieve good results such
as :
• Rocks of varying sizes are used to emphasize the contrast.
• Generally asymmetric arrangement of rocks is preferred over symmetrical
arrangement.
• Sometimes there is a tradition for arranging the rocks to reflect the
philosophical concept heaven, earth and man.
• Water
• 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.
 Water features
• There are number of ways in which water
can be used in Japanese gardens:
• As a pond or lake setting, in a stream and
as a waterfall.
• If the objective is to create an expensive
atmosphere then a pond or lake is the
answer.
• If the aim is dynamic effect, which will
stimulate both visual and acoustic senses
then waterfall is more suitable.
• Accessories
• Lanterns ,bridges, fences, water basins and even stepping stones and paths
come in the category.
• Fences and paths are uniquely Japanese
Kinkaku-ji
•Also known as Rokuon-ji, is a Zen buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan.
•It is one of 17 World Cultural Heritage sites in Kyoto.
•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.
 Tranquility Pond

Fudo hall

Shin'un Shrine

Dragon Gate Falls

Golden pavilion

Ashihara Island
Abbots quarters

Golden pavilion

Old ichiigashi tree

Main entry
• 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.
• These falls in the Kinkaku-ji garden drop a distance of 2.3 meters
before emptying into the pool below. 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.
•Tranquility Pond (Anmintaku, also known as Ushitaku and Bôuntaku)
is a small pool 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 center is a small island
with a five-element stupa known as the White Snake Mound.
•In the front garden of the Abbot's Quarters (Hôjô) is a kochô
wabisuke tree planted by Emperor Gomizunoo. This is the
oldest living example of a kochô wabisuke tree, which is a
variety of camella.
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