Hello. This is Yoriko. The Japanese Garden is one of my favorite aspects of Japanese culture. There are still a lot for me to learn as the topic is very broad and deep.
Today, I want to give you an introduction to Japanese Gardens and how you can tell the difference between them.
Japanese gardens have 1500 years of history and arrived from China with Buddhism.
Japanese gardens are asymmetrical in style and are a miniature version of nature. Many gardens are influenced by religions such as pure land Buddhism or Zen Buddhism.
Though the same can be said of all gardens, Japanese gardens incorporate natural materials such as stones, water, plants etc... As a result, gardens must be constantly maintained even after completion.
The Zen gardens throughout Kyoto can only maintain their picture-like beauty because their maintenance is considered a part of Zen training and is therefore never neglected. "It is not that the moss garden is inherently beautiful, it is that the moss is maintained in such a way as to appear beautiful."
It is often said that the Japanese gardens are miniatures of natural landscapes. However, the beautiful Japanese garden is entirely a work of man.
Japanese gardens use a technique called MITATE. MITATE is a method of representing one thing through another. For example, a pile of stones may represent a waterfall, lines in the white sand may represent a body of water.
Sometimes this technique requires viewers to use their imagination.
Four things are key to create gardens.
Stones
Plants and Trees
Water
Ornaments
There are 3 types of Japanese gardens.
1. Chisen - pond gardens
2. Karesansui - rock garden, dry landscape gardens
3. Roji - tea house garden
1. Chisen
In Japanese, a pond is called Chisen and a pond garden is called Chisen-teien.
Pond gardens arranged so that a visitor can walk around the circumference of the pond are called “Chisen-kaiyushiki-teien”(strolling garden).
Pond gardens meant to be viewed from a pavilion are called Chisen- kansyoshiki-teien (pond viewing gardens).
Gardens meant to be enjoyed by boats are called Chisen shuyushiki-teien (boating gardens)
One garden can combine different features of these different types of gardens. The shape of garden ponds can vary greatly depending on the contours and conditions of the site. They tend to have curved banks and feature artificial peninsulas used to create a sense of depth.
Chisen-kaiyushiki-teien
Rokuon-ji (Kinkaku-ji)
Tenryu-ji
Chisen-shuyushiki-teien
Heianjingu
Chisen-kansyoshiki-teien
Ruriko-in
2. Karesansui
Karesansui is a dry landscape garden without water, is used mostly rocks and sand.
The aforementioned technique called Mitate is often used here.
Tofuku-ji
Ryoan-ji
3.Roji
Roji is the Japanese name for the garden that surrounds a tea house. The gardens surrounding a tea house should invoke a feeling of being deep in the mountainous woods, although teahouses are usually located in cities.
The stepping stone path bends to look like long mountain trails although tea house gardens are usually very small.
Saiho-ji
koto-in
I hope you enjoyed learning about how traditional Japanese beauty is encapsulated in these gardens, whether they be at a tea garden, a carefully arranged rock garden, or designed with seasonal flowers, trees, and ponds.
If you are interested in visiting these places, please let us know! I will explain the small details in each garden.
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