Japanese garden

Today, in many parts of Japan and the western parts of the world the traditions of Japanese garden art are still maintained. The intensity of expression, continue to inspire many artists that aspire to create a personal Japanese garden of their own. They are popularly known as zen gardens.

1. LANDSCAPE DESIGN
JAPANESE GARDENS
PRESENTED TO:
AR.MAVISH ANJUM
PRESENTED BY:
AYUSH JAISWAL
ROHIT BHATT
SUKHLEEN KAUR

2. INTRODUCTION:
The idea of these unique gardens began during the Asuka
period(538 to 710).
Inspired by Chinese landscape gardens.
Japanese gardens first appeared on the island of Honshu.
Japanese gardens have their roots in Japanese religion of Shinto.
(Shinto is a traditional religion of Japan focuses to establish a
connection between present day and ancient past.)
Earlier gardens were designed 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
Today, in many parts of Japan and the western parts of the world
the traditions of Japanese garden art are still maintained. The
intensity of expression, continue to inspire many artists that aspire
to create a personal Japanese garden of their own.
Japanese gardens are commonly known as Zen gardens.

3. CHRONOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT
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.
Heian Period(794 to 1185) is the second very important chapter in the
development of Japanese garden art.
During the Kamakura Period(1192) and Muromachi Period(1336 to
1573) garden-making techniques improved considerably because of
the rise ofthe Zen style. Many gardens designed in that time were
properties of successive shoguns and daimios, who belong to the
highest class in Japanese society. 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.

4. CONCEPT OF TIME AND SPACE
■The concept of wabi and sabi:
Wabi can denote something one-of-a-kind, or the spirit of something.
Sabi defines time or the ideal image of something. While a cement lantern
may be one of a kind, it lacks that ideal image. A rock can be old and
covered with lichens, but if it is just a round boulder it has no wabi. We
must strive to find that balance.
■The concept of wabi/sabi deal with time and space.
Where the garden is our space, time is ably presented by the changing
seasons. Unlike the western gardener the Japanese garden devotee
visits and appreciates the garden in all the seasons.

5. ■The fence is a tool to enhance the concept of miegakure, or hide and
reveal.
■Many of the fence styles offer only the merest of visual screens, and will
be supplemented with a screen planting, offering just the ghostly hints of
the garden behind. Sometimes a designer will cut a small window in a
solid wall to present the passerby with a tantalizing glimpse of what lies
beyond.
MIEGAKURE
Even if we enter the house to view the garden we may well encounter
sode-gaki, or sleeve fences. This is a fence that attaches to an
architectural structure, be it a house or another fence, to screen a
specific view. To view the garden as a whole one must enter it and
become one with the garden. This is the final step in the true appreciation
of the garden, to lose oneself in it until time and self have no meaning

6. BASIC RULES IN THE DESIGN OF
JAPANESE GARDENS
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 (calm) and tension.
Curves: That softens the effect
Openness: That indicates interaction between all elements

7. 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.

8. ELEMENTS OF JAPANESE GARDENS
Water
Rock and sand
Garden bridges
Stone lanterns and water basins
Garden fences and gates
Trees and flowers
Fish

9. 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.
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 forest.

10. 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
Wells are also used in japanese gardens..

11. ROCKS AND SAND
Rock, sand and gravel are an
essential feature of the Japanese
garden. The rocks are like the
coordinates of a garden project.
Rocks and water also
symbolize yin and yang (in
Chinese philosophy it describes
how seemingly opposite may
actually be complementary), the
hard rock and soft water
complement each other, and water,
though soft, can wear away rock.

12. SIZE
1.only when viewed in the
context of the scale of
the garden & its
relationship with the
neighboring rocks and
other artifacts.
2.Variation in rock sizes
offer greater contrast &
interest resulting in
the more dynamic
arrangement of rocks.
3.Rocks are traditionally
classified as tall vertical,
low vertical, arching,
reclining, or flat.
COLOURS
1.generally bright colors are avoided.
2.Color of rocks generally varies from grey to black, and from yellow to
brick red on other hand.

13. TEXTURE
1.Rocks are often used to represent islands and mountains, so conical or
dome shaped rough volcanic rocks would be the obvious
choice.(kansai)
2.Hard metamorphic rocks are usually placed by waterfalls or
streams.
3.A jagged textured rock gives feeling of timelessness and dignity.
4.Smooth rocks like water worn stones or glacial boulders convey the
feeling of antiquity(ancient past) especially when combined in an
interesting shape are used around lakes or as stepping stones.

14. Certain guidelines or ground rules are followed to achieve good results
such as:
1. Rocks of varying sizes are used to emphasize the contrast.
2.asymmetric arrangement of rocks is preferred over symmetrical
arrangement.
3.Sometimes there is a tradition for arranging the rocks to reflect the
philosophical concept heaven, earth and man.

15. GARDEN BRIDGES
Bridges could be made of stone (ishibashi),
or of wood, or made of logs with earth on
top, covered with moss (dobashi); they
could
be either arched (soribashi)
or flat (hirabashi).
Bridges can be painted red if
it is used for temple garden,
as per Chinese tradition.

16. STONE LANTERNS & WATER BASINS
Stone lanterns-In its complete and original form, a dai-doro, like the
pagoda, represents the five elements of Buddhist cosmology. The
piece touching the ground represents chi, the earth; the next section
represents sui, or water; ka or fire, is represented by the section
encasing the lantern's light or flame, while fū (air) and kū (void or
spirit) are represented by the last two sections, top-most and
pointing towards the sky.
The segments express the idea that after death our physical
bodies will go back to their original, elemental form.

17. Stone water basins, (tsukubai) were originally placed in gardens for
visitors to wash their hands and mouth before the tea ceremony.
The water is provided to the basin by a bamboo pipe and they usually
have a wooden ladle for drinking the water.
In tea gardens, the basin was placed low to the ground, so the drinker
had to bend over to get his water

18. GARDEN FENCES & GATES
There are three types of
fences:
1.The short fence which extends
from the house into the garden
2.An inner fence
3.an outer fence.
Short fences or sodegaki are
screens that hide unwanted
views or objects.
They are about 6 or 7 feet high
and add color and texture to the
garden.
Materials used are
bamboo,wood and twigs of
bamboo or tree.

19. TREES AND FLOWERS
Plants are chosen according to aesthetic principles,
Plants are used either to hide undesirable sights orto serve
as a backdrop to certain garden features, or to create a
picturesque scene, like a landscape painting or postcard.
Trees are carefully chosen and arranged for their autumn
colors.
Mosses often used to suggest that the garden is ancient.
Flowers are also carefully chosen by their season of
flowering.
Some plants are chosen for their religious symbolism, such
as the lotus, sacred in Buddhist teachings, or the pine, which
represents longevity.
The trees are carefully trimmed to provide attractive scenes,
and to prevent them from blocking other views of the garden

20. 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.
Azaleas
When properly done, groups of azaleas
can be sheared into large masses, or
individual semi-spherical shapes, adding
crisp, clean lines and a voluptuousness to
garden compositions.

21. TREES IN JAPANESE GARDENS
JAPANESE FIR
Scientific Name: Abies Firma
Habitat: Evergreen
Texture: Coarse
Height: 40’ to 70’
Leaf: 1.5" dark green needles are notched at base;
sharp prickly point
Flower/Fruit: 3.5 to 5" brown cones
JAPANESE STRIPPED – BARK MAPPLE
Scientific Name: Acer capillipes
Habit: Deciduous
Growth Rate: Moderate
Site Requirements: Sun to partial shade; prefers moist,
well drained soil
Texture: Medium
Form: Round head; low branches
Height: 30 to 35’
Flower/Fruit: Greenish white flowers

22. JAPANESE MAPLE
Scientific Name: Acer palmatum
Growth Rate: Slow to moderate
Site Requirements: Light dappled shade; evenly
moist, well drained soil; protect from drying winds
Texture: Medium to fine
Form: Low; dense rounded top; spreading branches;
assumes a layered look
Height: 15 to 25'
Flower/Fruit: Small red to purple flowers; attractive
if viewed closely but
insignificant from a distance.

23. JAPANESE CHERRY BIRCH
Scientific Name
Betula grossa
Growth Rate: Moderate
Site Requirements: Sun; moist well drained
soil
Texture: Medium
Form: Pyramidal
Height: 20 to 25'
Leaf: 2 to 4" alternate, simple leaves;
yellow fall color
Flower/Fruit: Nonshowy flowers

24. FISH
The idea of using fish in
landscape
garden is borrowed from Chinese
garden.
Japan is a country where a large
population leaves little land
available for flower gardens.
The Japanese, therefore, have
found places to grow living flowers,
the colored carps.
They appeared in Japan many
centuries ago and the Japanese
have crossbred them for over 100
years, producing carps of high
value that bring a flash of colour to
the shallow waters.
Carps can live for up to 50 years.
In Japanese culture, they are a
symbol of strength and
perseverance.

25. 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.

26. KASAN AND BONSAI
KASAN
These are miniatures of mountains in
Japan.
They are made up of ceramics, dried
wood or strangely-shaped stones.
They generally have sharp peaks.
BONSAI
Bonsai is a Japanese art form using
miniature trees grown in containers.
The trees are usually less than one
meter high and kept small by
pruning, re-potting, growth pinching,
and wiring the branches.
Pine, cypress, holly, cedar, cherry,
maple

27. TYPES
Today there are several styles in
Japanese gardens as per function –
1.POND GARDEN
2.PARADISE GARDEN
3.HERMITAGE GARDEN
4.DRY ROCK GARDEN OR ZEN
GARDENS
5.TEA GARDENS - simple, rustic
gardens with teahouses where the
Japanese tea ceremony is conducted.
6.PROMENADE OR STROLL
GARDENS - where the visitor follows
a path around the garden to see
carefully-composed landscapes.
7.COURTYARD GARDENS

28. POND GARDEN
known as "lake-spring-boat
excursion garden“. It was imported
from China during the Heian Period
Elements of pond garden –
•Lake
•Islands
Features –
It featured a large, ornate residence
with two long wings reaching south to
a large lake and garden.
These gardens had large lakes with
small islands, where musicians
played during festivals and
ceremonies.

29. THE PARADISE GARDEN
The Paradise Garden appeared in the late
Heian Period.
They were meant to symbolize Paradise or
the
Pure Land (Jōdo), where the Buddha sat on
a platform contemplating a lotus pond.
Elements of paradise garden –
•A lake island known as Nakajima
•a Buddha hall
•Arching bridge
Features –
These gardens featured a lake island called
Nakajima, where the Buddha hall was located,
connected to the shore by an arching bridge.
Temple in Uji, near Kyoto.
a paradise garden in Kyoto.

30. HERMITAGE GARDEN
A hermitage garden is a small garden usually
built by a samurai or government official who
wanted to retire from public life and devote
himself to study or meditation.
Elements of these gardens –
•Garden – traditional garden features
•Rustic house
•Winding path
Features –
The garden is attached to a rustic house, and
approached by a winding path, which suggests it
is deep in a forest. It may have a small pond, a
Japanese rock garden, and the other features of
traditional gardens, in miniature, designed to
create tranquility and inspiration.
Shisen-dō, built in Kyoto, in the
17th century, one of the best
examples of a hermitage garden

31. THE ZEN TEMPLE GARDENS
These are meant for meditation.
Elements of rock/ zen gardens –
•White sand
•Raked gravel
Features –
These gardens have white sand or raked
gravel in place of water, carefully-arranged
rocks, and sometimes rocks and sand
covered with moss.
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.

32. TEA GARDENS
The style of garden takes its name from the path to the teahouse, which is supposed
to inspire the visitor to meditation to prepare him for the ceremony.
ELEMENTS OF TEA GARDEN –
•Outer garden
•Gate
•Covered arbor
•Inner garden
•Moist and green pathway
Features –
There is an outer garden, with a gate and covered arbor
where guests wait for the invitation to enter.
▪They then pass through a gate to the inner garden, where
they wash their hands and rinse their mouth, as they would
before entering a Shinto shrine, before going into the
teahouse itself.
▪The path is always kept moist and green, so it will look like
a remote mountain path, and their are no bright flowers that
might distract the visitor from his meditation.

33. PROMENADE GARDENS
These gardens were meant to be seen by following a
path clockwise around the lake from one carefully-
composed scene to another.
Elements of promenade gardens –
•Scenery – mountains ,temples
•Pathway , fences, bamboo ,buildings
Features –
These gardens used two techniques to provide
interest; "borrowed scenery", which took
advantage of views of scenery outside the garden,
such as mountains or temples, incorporating them
into the view so the garden looked larger than it
really was; and "hide-and-reveal," which used
winding paths, fences, bamboo and buildings to
hide the scenery so the visitor would not see it until
he was at the best view point.

34. COURTYARD GARDEN
These small gardens were originally found in the
interior courtyards of Heian Period and palaces.
Elements of courtyard garden –
•Stone Lantern
•A Water Basin
•Stepping Stones
•Plants
Features –
These tiny gardens were meant to be seen, not
entered. These were designed to give a glimpse
of nature and some privacy to the residents of the
rear side of the building.
The Japanese courtyards are not large areas,
in fact are very small spaces seldom more than
fifty to a hundred square feet in size.

36. Ryōanji (Peaceful Dragon Temple) is a Zen
temple and World Heritage Site in
northwest Kyoto, Japan.
Best known for its Zen garden, simple
gravel-and-rock arrangement that inspires
peace and contemplation.
It is considered one of the finest surviving
examples of kare-sansui (dry landscape).
The garden consists of raked gravel and
fifteen moss-covered boulders, which are
placed so that, when looking at the garden
from any angle only fourteen of the
boulders are visible at one time.
PLANNING AND DETAILS

37. It is traditionally said that only through
attaining enlightenment would one be
able to view the fifteenth boulder.
The garden measures thirty by
seventy-eight feet.
To the east, a low wall surrounds the
garden.
On its north side the long veranda
where the visitors experience the
garden is located
On the southern and western side, a
wall-topped with thatched roof tile
edges the garden.

38. CLUBBIBNG OF ROCKS

39. CHERRY BLOSSOM AT THE WATER GARDEN

41. INTRODUCTION
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.

42. 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.

44. 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.
PLANNING

45. Tranquillity 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 centre is a small island with a five-element stupa known as the White
Snake Mound.

46. 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,
which is a variety of camella.