Japanese gardens are usually found in private homes, neighbourhoods, and city parks. They can also be found in historical landmarks such as Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, and old castles around the world. In Japanese culture, garden-making is high art, intimately related to the linked arts of calligraphy and ink painting. Japanese gardens were first developed under the influences of the distinctive and stylized Chinese gardens. The gardening tradition was historically passed down from sensei to apprentice. In recent decades this has been supplemented by various trade schools. Enjoy the following mesmerizing collection of Japanese gardens from all over. |
Honbo Garden – Osaka, Japan |
Japanese Garden – Buenos Aires, Argentina |
Ryoan-Ji Zen Garden – Kyoto, Japan |
Japanese Garden – Cowra, Australia |
A catalogue of features typical of the Japanese garden
may be drawn up without inquiring
deeply into the aesthetic underlying Japanese practice. Typical Japanese gardens have at their center a home from which the garden is viewed. In addition to residential architecture, dependingon the archetype, Japanese gardens often contain several of the following elements:
|
Ritsurin Garden – Takamatsu, Japan |
Monte Palace Tropical Garden (Stone Lanterns) – Madeira, Portugal |
Daizen-Ji Zen Rock Garden – Kyoto, Japan |
Japanese Tea Garden – San Francisco, United States |
Though often thought of as tranquil
sanctuaries that allow individuals to escape from the
stresses of daily life, Japanese gardens are designed for a variety of purposes. Some gardens invite quiet contemplation, but may have also been intended for recreation, the display of rare plant specimens, or the exhibition of unusual rocks.
Kaiyu-shiki, or Strolling Gardens,
require the observer to walk through the garden to fully
appreciate it. A premeditated path takes observers through a unique area of a Japanese garden. Uneven surfaces are placed in specific spaces to prompt people to look down at particular points. When the observer looks up, they will see an eye-catching ornamentation, which is intended to enlighten and revive the spirit of the observer. This type of design is known as the Japanese landscape principle of “Hide and Reveal”. |
Ginkau-Ji Zen Garden – Kyoto, Japan |
Stones are used to construct the
garden’s paths, bridges, and walkways. Stones can also represent a geological presence where actual mountains are not viewable or present. They are sometimes placed in odd numbers and a majority of the groupings reflect triangular shapes, which often are the mountains of China. |
Korakuen Garden – Okayama, Japan |
Hamilton Gardens – Waikato, New Zealand |
A water source in a
Japanese garden should appear to be part of the natural surroundings;
this is why we won't find fountains in traditional gardens. Man-made streams are built with curves and irregularities to create a natural and serene appearance. Lanterns are often placed beside some of the most prominent water basins (either a pond or a stream) in a garden. In some gardens, there are some dry ponds or streams which have as much impact as do the ones filled with water. |
Zen Rock Garden – Japan |
Japanese Garden – Netherlands |
Zen Garden – Portland, United States |
Green plants are another element of
Japanese gardens. Japanese traditions prefer subtle green tones, but flowering trees and shrubs are also used. Many plants in the Japanese gardens of the West are indigenous to Japan, though some sacrifices must be made due to different climates. Some plants, such as sugar maple and firebush, give the garden a broader palette of seasonal colour. |
Adachi Museum of Art – Yasugi, Japan |
Suizenji-jojuen Garden – Kumamoto, Japan |
Keiunkan Garden – Nagahama, Japan |
The Japanese rock gardens — karesansui — or “dry landscape” gardens, often called “Zen gardens”, were mainly influenced by Zen Buddhism and can be found at Zen temples of meditation. Karesansui gardens are usually extremely abstract and represent (miniature) landscapes also called “mind-scapes”. This Buddhist preferred way to express cosmic beauty in worldly environments is intertwined with Zen Buddhism. |
Japanese Rock Garden – Koyasan, Japan |
Japanese Gardens – Portland, United States |
Stone arrangements and other
miniature elements are used to represent mountains and natural water elements and scenes, islands, rivers and waterfalls. Stone and shaped shrubs are used interchangeably. In most gardens, moss is used as a ground cover to create “land” covered by forest. Other, mostly stone objects, are sometimes used symbolically to represent mountains, islands, boats, or even people. Karesansui gardens are often, but not always, meant to be viewed from a single vantage point from a seated position. There you go. |
Como Park Conservatory – Minnesota, United States
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Wednesday 17 April 2013
The Mesmerizing Japanese Gardens
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