Things to keep in mind for a beautiful garden
MAIN PRINCIPLES ON THE GARDEN'S
DESIGN
Bring the Japanese feeling into your
garden with these basic steps. First of all, embrace the ideal of nature. That
means, keep things in your garden as natural as possible, avoiding to include
things that could disrupt this natural appearance.
For example, don't include square
ponds in your design as square ponds are nowhere to be found in nature. Also, a
waterfall would be something closer to what exists in nature if we compare it
to a fountain. So you also have to consider the Japanese concept of sumi or
balance. Because one of Japanese gardening design main purposes is to recreate
large landscapes even in the smallest place. Be careful when choosing the
elements for your garden, because you don't want to end up filling your ten by
ten courtyard with huge rocks.
As a miniaturized landscape, the
rocks in the garden would represent mountains and the ponds would represent
lakes. A space filled with sand would represent an ocean. By that we assume
that garden masters were looking to achieve a minimalistic approach, best
represented by the phrase "less is more".
THE ELEMENTS OF TIME AND SPACE
One of the things westerners notice
at first are the many portions of empty space in the garden. In fact, these
spaces are an important feature in Japanese gardening. This space called ma,
relates to the elements around it and that also surround it. The concepts of in
and yo are of vital importance here, they are best known to the Western
civilization by the Chinese names yin and yang. If you want to have something
you have to start with having nothing. This is an idea quite difficult to
understand, but it is a rule of thumb in Japanese gardening.
An important clue in the development
of a garden is the concept of wabi and sabi. There's no literal English
translation for those words. Wabi is about uniqueness, or the essence of
something; a close literal translation is solitary. Sabi deals with the definition
of time or the ideal image of something; the closest definition might be time
strengthened character. Given the case, a cement lantern that might appear
unique, would lack of that ideal image. Or an old rock covered in lichens would
have no wabi if it's just a round boulder. That's why it is important to find
that balance.
Ma and wabi/sabi are connected to
the concepts of space and time. When it comes to seasons, the garden must show
the special character of each one. Japanese garden lovers dedicate time to
their gardens every season, unlike the western gardener who deserts in fall
just to be seen again in spring.
A very relaxing view in spring is
given by the bright green of new buds and the blossoms of the azaleas. In
summer, the lush foliage in combination with the pond offer a powerful and
fresh image. The vivid spectacle of the brilliant colors of dying leaves in
fall are a prelude for the arrival of winter and its white shroud of snow.
The two most important gardening
seasons in Japan are spring and winter. Japanese refer to the snow accumulated
on braches as Sekku or snow blossoms. Yukimi, or the snow viewing lantern, is
another typical element of the Japanese garden in winter. The sleep of the
garden in winter is an important episode for our Japanese gardener, while for
the western gardener spring is the beginning of the work at the garden. Maybe
because of the eastern point of view as death like part of the life cycle, or
perhaps the western fear to death.
ABOUT GARDEN ENCLOSURES
Let's see the garden as a microcosm
of nature. If we're looking for the garden to be a true retreat, we have to
'set it apart' from the outside world. Because of that, fences and gates are
important components of the Japanese garden.
The fence and the gates have both symbolism
and functionality. The worries and concerns of our daily life have to stay out
of this separate world that becomes the garden. The fence protects us from the
outside world and the gate is the threshold where we leave our daily worries
and then prepare ourselves to confront the real world again.
The use of fences is based in the
concept of hide/reveal or Miegakure. Fence styles are very simple and are put
in combination with screen planting, thus not giving many clues of what hides
inside. You can give a sample look of your garden by cutting a small window in
the solid wall that encloses your garden if that's the case. Sode-gaki, or
sleeve fences, are fences attached to an architectural structure, that will
only show a specific view of the garden from inside the house. Thus, we're
invited to get into the garden and enjoy it in its entirety. That's what makes
the true understanding of the garden, to lose in it our sense of time and self.
BASIC ARRANGEMENTS
Despite the fact that certain rules
are applied to each individual garden, don't think that there's just one type
of garden. There are three basic styles that differ by setting and purpose.
Hill and Pond Garden (Chisen-Kaiyu-skiki)
A China imported classic style. A
pond or a space filled with raked gravel fronts a hill (or hills). This style
always represents mountainous places and commonly makes use of vegetation
indigenous to the mountains. Stroll gardens commonly use this style.
Flat Garden (Hiraniwa)
It derives from the use of open,
flat spaces in front of temples and palaces for ceremonies. This is an
appropriate style for contemplation and that represents a seashore area (with
the use of the right plants). This is a style frequently used in courtyards.
Tea Gardens (Rojiniwa)
Function has a greater importance
than form in this type of garden. The Roji or dewy path, is the main point of
the garden, along with the pond and the gates. This would be the exception to
the rule. The simple and sparse plantings give a rustic feeling to the garden.
Formality has to be taken in consideration
Hill and pond and flat styles may be
shin (formal), gyo (intermediate) or so (informal). Formal styles were to be
found usually at temples or palaces, intermediate styles were suitable for most
residences, and the informal style was used in peasant huts and mountain
retreats. The tea garden is the one that always fits in the informal style.
THE GARDEN COMPONENTS
Rocks (ishi in Japanese) are the
main concern of the Japanese garden. If the stones are placed correctly, then
the garden shows in a perfect balance. So here are shown the basic stone types
and the rules for their positions.
The basic stones are the tall
upright stone, the low upright stone, the curved stone, the reclining stone,
and the horizontal stone. These must be usually set in triads although this
doesn't happen always. Two almost identical stones (by way of example, two tall
verticals or two reclining stones), one a little quite smaller than the other,
can be set together as male and female, but the use of them in threes, fives,
and sevens is more frequent.
We have to keep away from the Three
Bad Stones. These are the Diseased stone (having a withered or misshapen top),
the Dead stone (an obviously vertical one used as a horizontal, or vice versa,
like the placement of a dead body), and the Pauper Stone (a stone having no
connection to the several other ones in the garden). Use only one stone of each
of the basic types in any cluster (the rest have to be smaller, modest stones
also known as throwaway stones). Stones can be placed as sculptures, set
against a background in a two-dimensional way, or given a purpose, such as a
stepping stone or a bridge.
When used as stepping stones they
should be between one and three inches above the soil, yet solid underfoot, as
if rooted into the ground. They can be put in straight lines, offset for left
foot, right foot (referred as chidori or plover, after the tracks the shore
bird leaves), or set in sets of twos, threes, fours, or fives (and any
combination thereof).
The pathway stands for the passage
through life, and even particular stones by the path may have meaning. A much
wider stone placed across the path tells us to put two feet here, stopping to
enjoy the view. There are numerous stones for specific places. When observing
the basic design principles, we can notice the exact character of the Japanese
garden.
Water (mizu in Japanese) plays an
important part in the composition of the Japanese garden because of Japan's
abundant rainfall. Water can be represented even with a raked gravel area
instead of water. A rushing stream can be represented by placing flat river stones
closely together. In the tea garden, where there isn't any stream or pond,
water plays the most important role in the ritual cleansing at the chozubachi,
or water basin. As the water fills and empties from the shishi-odoki, or deer
scare, the clack of bamboo on rock helps mark the passage of time.
The flow of water, the way it sounds
and looks, brings to mind the continual passage of time. A bridge crossing the
water stream is often used as a landscaping complement. Bridges denote a
journey, just as pathways do. Hashi, in japanese, can mean bridge or edge.
Bridges are the symbolic pass from one world into another, a constant theme in
Japanese art.
Plants or Shokobutsu may play a
secondary role to the stones in the garden, but they are a primary concern in
the design too. Stones represent what remains unchanged, so trees, shrubs, and
perennials have to represent the passing of seasons. Earlier garden styles used
plants to make up poetic connotations or to correct geomantic issues, but these
have little meaning today.
As the the Heian style diminished
under the Zen influence, perennials and grasses fell out of use. So, for a long
time, there were only a few plants that tradition allowed for the garden.
However, in modern Japan, designers are again widening the spectrum of
materials used. It is highly recommended that native plants are chosen for the
garden, because showy exotic plants are not in good taste. Be aware that native
plants are used in the garden, because it is in bad taste to use showy exotic
plants. Although pines, cherries and bamboo immediately remind us of Japanese
gardens, we encourage you to use native plants of your locality that you can
find pleasing. If we choose evergreens as the main plant theme and combine it
with deciduous material that may provide seasonal blooms or foliage color we
can recreate the look of the Japanese garden.
Now the next thing taken in
consideration in a Japanese garden are the ornaments or Tenkebutsu. Stone
lanterns are, for westerners, a typical impression of Japanese gardens.Stone
lanterns are not important components of the Japanese garden. The reason is
that ornaments are subjected to the garden's design. Lanterns, stupas, and
basins are just architectural complements added when a point of visual interest
is necessary to the design.
A good way to finish yor garden
design could be a well-placed lantern. The three main styles (although with
many variations) are: The Kasuga style lantern, is a very formal one featuring
a stone base. In the Oribe style lantern, unlike the Kasuga style, the pedestal
is underneath the ground. The Yukimi or Snow-Viewing lantern is set on short
legs instead of a pedestal. Consider the formality of your garden setting to
choose the appropriate lantern.
When possible, elements from outside
the garden can be included in it. For instance, you can work a far away
mountain including the scenery in your design, framing it with the stones and
plants existing in the garden.
The borrowed scenery (shakkei in Japanese) can be: Far (as in a far away mountain); near (a tree just outside the fence); High (an element seen above the fence) or low (like a component seen below a fence or through a window in the fence).
The borrowed scenery (shakkei in Japanese) can be: Far (as in a far away mountain); near (a tree just outside the fence); High (an element seen above the fence) or low (like a component seen below a fence or through a window in the fence).
As much as it is perceived to
contradict our sense of enclosure, it reminds us of how all things are
interconnected.
THE FEEL OF YOUR GARDEN
The Japanese garden is a subtle
place full of contradictions and imperatives. Where firmly established rules
are broken with other rules. If you meet the Buddha on the road, you must kill
him is a Zen paradox that recommends not to stick so tightly to rules, and the
same goes for Japanese gardens.
When building a Japanese garden,
don't get too attached to traditions that hold little meaning for you. It would
have no function to recreate a Buddhist saints garden. This also applies to
trying to remember the meaning of stone placements, as this method is no longer
used in Japan, or even in the United States, due to the lack of meaning for us
in the modern world.
That's why we have selected a few
gardening suggestions that do hold relevance and integrate them into a garden.
These three ideas on gardening will give direction to achieve perfect results.
FIRST
The overall setting of the garden should always be right for the location, not the other way around.
The overall setting of the garden should always be right for the location, not the other way around.
SECOND
The stones should be placed first, next the trees, and then the shrubs.
The stones should be placed first, next the trees, and then the shrubs.
THIRD
Get used to the concepts of shin, gyo, and so. This is of great help to start working on the garden.
Get used to the concepts of shin, gyo, and so. This is of great help to start working on the garden.
Have in mind that the real Japanese
gardens are the traditional ones in Japan. What we can do in America is to
shape a garden in the Japanese style. Rikyu once said about the perfect Roji:
"Thick green moss, all pure and sunny warm". In other words, techniques
are not as important as the feeling you evoke in your garden. Said in other
way, the feeling is more important than techniques.
