JAPENESE GARDENS

Philosophy and concepts

• Shared a similar approach with China.

• Was Influenced by Chinese concepts to a large extent, but did not

copy the Chinese, rather adapted the Chinese concepts to suit their
own country and brought a higher refinement to it.

• City planning principles remained similar, but the scale was reduced
and refined to the context of Japan.

- a sympathetic alliance with nature

- borrowed scenery

- hide and reveal compositional technique

- rock artistry

- Focus upon ground plane patterns and textures have become

inspiration for the modern movement and continue to be inspirations
even today
After understanding Chinese garden concepts the Japanese adapted
them in conformity to the scale and topography of their own
Landscape.

Planting
• Mostly evergreens were used.

• The stroll gardens had cherry, plum, and other flowering plants in
them. However all bright coloured plants were excluded from Zen
gardens. They have pine and willows in addition to moss. A flowering
grass type called pampas grass was also used extensively.

Lake/ River gardens – Heian period (781-1185 CE)

• Large gardens modeled on the Chinese Tang gardens. Called as

‘Yarimizu’ or River style gardens.

• Had a large lake in the centre with islands on it. Boating was
undertaken in these lakes with Chinese style boats

• Islands consisted of rock arrangements in symbolically meaningful

shapes like Crane or Tortoise.
• Pavilions in the style known as ‘Shinden zukuri’ stood at the edge of
the water.
 • Raised covered passages linked the various pavilions to each other
and to the ‘Shinden’ or central pavilion.

Zen Gardens – Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE)

• Inspired by the song gardens of China, had vertical positioning of

carefully selected rocks

• Transition from great lake gardens of Heian period to more austere

Zen gardens of later periods.

• Introduction of the concept of ‘Kare –san –sui’ or dry gardens. Its

absence of water suggests ‘mu’ or nothingness which is emblamatic of
Zen teaching.

a means of frustrating rational thought and pushing the mind towards

a deeper, more intuitive understanding.

These gardens were meant to serve as aid in altering consciousness so

as to encourage a state of enlightment.

• Carefully controlled composition in small defined spaces.

•. Completely dry gardens with minimal vegetation and other

elements.

• Consisted of arrangements of rock, sand, and gravel.

Tea gardens – Momoyama period (1573-1603 CE)

 • Developed for the tea ceremony called ‘cha no yu’. • Not a well
composed garden as earlier examples ,the objective was to bring about
a separation from the outer world and to facilitate entry into another
realm.

• Main focus is the tea garden path or ‘Roji’ meaning dewy path.

• The most notable aspect of the tea garden is the ground plane itself.
• The path consists flat stepping stones set within moss.

Usually rounded river washed stones were preferred.bamboo fence

around the garden, a natural stone basin to wash hands, and stone
lanterns to light the path and basin.

• Were precursors of the Stroll gardens

Stroll GardensEdo period (1603-1867 CE)

 • A garden to be viewed by walking through it. Developed from the tea
garden.

• Consists of paths in Zig-zag movement, creating scenic surprises as

one travels along.

• The technique of hide and reveal is the essence of a stroll garden.

• With the stroll garden, the stepping stone path of the tea garden, is
employed for the purpose of kinetic experience of Landscape.