Jongeling 1
Reba Jongeling
Ms. Froiland
English IV
21 October 2009
Japanese Rock Gardens: History, Elements, and Health Effects
“With its hills and pond this garden excelled in beauty many princely pleasure grounds.
Here had been built up a number of hills . . . that look as if they had been formed by nature. Within these heights there were double peaks and curving ridges by the side of deep streams and valleys. There were plenty of tall, leafy trees which afforded protection against the rays of sun and moon, and hanging creepers which did not prevent the mist from creeping in. The paths ran zigzag up the hills and down the valleys . . . . The stony and curious water courses flowed in some places in winding bends and in other places straight on. Nature lovers were so captivated by this spot that they forgot to go home.”
(Douglas 24; Chronicle published in 547 A.D., Lo-Yang Chia Lang Chi)
Surrounding us everywhere are plants, landscape, and foliage. Yet, how often do we sit back and actually study our environment? Does anyone take the time out of his or her demanding hectic day to look around? Are people too self-centered and busy to enjoy the world surrounding them? What should be used to teach us to enjoy what the world has to offer us?
Symbolic elements and positive health benefits are found in historical Japanese rock gardens.
A researcher cannot accurately report on Japanese rock gardens without first looking at the roots of the Chinese gardens which are the bases for Japanese gardens. For years different
Chinese religious leaders, such as Confucius, Lao-tse, and Buddha, stressed the importance and

Jongeling 2 appreciation of nature. Chinese gardens were modeled after the numerous scroll paintings like a series of views. Now we are solely limited to the reviewing of the scroll paintings due to depletion of historic Chinese examples. The gardens of the Chinese are gardens of allusion – the plants, water, rocks, and structures are used to create pictures and indicate various traditional and cultural aspects (Douglas 24). In Garden Design
, the history of the “Oriental Garden Arts” put it this way:
Garden-making involved not only an appreciation of nature but also the imagery of a poet and the perception of a painter. Cooperation among creative artists occurs periodically throughout the history of garden design, but only in China was the collaboration of poet, painter, and gardener the basis for fully realized artistic traditions that have lasted for centuries. (24)
In the third century, Liu Bang Gaozu, the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, formed three artificial islands on the Tai Yi Lake to represent paradise, and the symbol was used in imperial gardens from then on (Bequette). Though during China’s Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644), it is said the “garden art” reached its highest development. The Chinese developed into keen lovers of nature’s simple beauties: the full moon, the first peach blossom of the spring, the peony fragrance. The gardens became specially designed to experience those beautiful pleasures.
Gardens were planned to accompany every mood, occasion, and weather condition, and additionally used for spiritual meditation, observation of environment, and poetic contemplation
(Douglas 24).
Meanwhile, in the strongly religious, nature respecting, and traditionally cultural island nation of Japan, the Shinto religion was teaching admiration for the many elements of the universe. Therefore, the early Japanese worshiped “environmental phenomena” including the

Jongeling 3 sun, moon, rain, sea, stones, mountains, and others (Douglas 24). Shinto also implemented the three different types of gods – gods of nature, gods of abstract powers, and human gods – which, when incorporated into the gardens, were transformed into shrines. Once the shrines were surrounded by rope, along with particularly placed special trees and rocks, became places of worship (Miller). The main reason for gardens being so connected to religion in Japan is also due to the fact that Buddhist monks from China established garden art in Japan. The Japanese took the art, added design, and then pinned symbolic meanings to each individual element used
(Douglas 24). Before doing so, Confucianism was transported into the country, but did not make a strong impact on the Japanese people – other than causing the simple Chinese characters and ethnics to be accepted. Buddhism was then fused with Shinto beliefs, which led to changes in garden design. Gardens were transformed from shrines into places of celebration, meditation, fun, ceremonies and reflection; however, rocks remained the constant element in all gardens, while Buddhism inserted splashes of color in the gardens with flowers and other plants (Miller).
Intimate tea gardens, a big part of the tea ceremony that was sophisticated by Sen Rikyu (1517-
1591), were modified to fit the setting, and the tea gardens were occasionally divided for an
“inner” and “outer” world along with isolating the tea house (Bequette). Overall, the Japanese gardens reproduced the original Chinese concept, but added their own flare to become the reflection of the religious changes, cultural differences, and historical periods throughout the centuries, and later Westerners simply tried to duplicate them. Professional gardener and landscaper Helland said, “… European gardens used to be symmetrical, which is equal on the left and right side, but Japanese rock gardens are informal and unbalanced.”
Bequette quoted Georges La Rouge, “Everyone knows that English gardens are nothing more than imitations of Chinese gardens.” However, even with the fact that Westerners just

Jongeling 4 replicated Chinese and Japanese gardens, just like every person, snowflake, animal, and plant is unique, every garden is also unparalleled. No one can create a garden to look exactly like another one; although a professional or amateur may attempt to achieve a similar impression. No location, plant life, environment, rock choice, surrounding, or structures will ever be exactly the same in two gardens. Furthermore, the Japanese, lovers of religion, art, and culture, attached a meaning and symbol to each component used in their gardens (Douglas 24). Ancient gardeners developed the rocks as “bones” of the garden and each specific rock has a special name. In an article entitled, “Stone in the Japanese Rock Garden,” the anonymous author explains the basic rules for Japanese rock gardens. The explanation includes the unusual usage and interpretation of rocks along with examples of the five basic stone types:
 soul stone – vertical stone with wide base and tapered top used often in gardens and landscape
 body stone – tall vertical, often symbolic of a person or god, and repeatedly placed in the rear
 heart stone – flat stone used as stepping stone
 branching stone – exception to rule of using stones with larger tops than bottoms because it has a flat top wider than the base and used to connect the horizontal stones to the vertical ones, and lastly
 ox stone – one end of the rock is higher than the other side and placed in the foreground to combine all the rocks together.
All these rock types vary in size and shape, and they also have a diverse number of symbolic meanings. Many rules and restrictions come with the symbolic meanings. There is even a rule controlling the placement of rocks taken from cliffs; they may only be placed as cliffs, and

Jongeling 5 likewise with water stones, but as the author states, “many of the rules have little or no bearing unless you believe in animism or evil spirits.” According to Helland, the materials or elements of traditional Japanese rock gardens are more than just rocks. Traditionally, trees, lanterns, and pagodas are used as focal points in gardens. Pagodas are Buddhist temple buildings with an upward curving roof that tapers towards the top. Statues, used as idols, shrines, and worship places, were often found scattered amongst the rocks and plants of the gardens. Moreover, an assortment of elements makes each and every garden unique.
“By means of the most ordinary things gardens enable us to grasp the secret of nature and its real essence,” wrote a sixteen century monk named Soami (Bequette). The Japanese monks and Buddhist clergy were often the only people permitted to build and interpret the temple gardens. This was because the priests believed “normal” people could not understand the symbolic meaning of the elements – which was probably a good choice because the methods and meanings of rock placement is detailed, and, if used incorrectly, can cause “bad vibes” in the garden (“Stone in the Japanese Rock Garden”). An eleventh century book called
Sakuteiki launched the firm rules of garden design, which comprised of water movement with ten different waterfalls, qualities of stone, categories of design, and improvement possibilities. The levels and categories of gardens are countless: artificial hill, level, elaborate, intermediate, simple, tea, dry rock, water, literary men’s, and more (Douglas 24). All these types of gardens have different meanings and backgrounds.
The Chinese used the word “shanshi” instead of landscape, which literally means
“mountains and water.” The Zen idea of yang and yin also comes from this. As Berthier wrote,
“… conjoin the rough hardness of rock with the soft fluidity of water produced great aesthetic pleasure…” He also tells the cosmogonic myth this ancient belief was founded on, which

Jongeling 6 signifies rivers are the blood that irrigates the body of the earth, and mountains as the bones. The entire inspiration gives explanation to the Chinese preference of rocks. Rocks also symbolize mountains, which is the place where the sky and earth meet (Bequette). The unnamed author from “Stone in the Japanese Rock Garden” stresses the placement of stepping stones as a path.
The writer says, “The pathway is symbolic of the journey through life, and even specific stones in the path may have meanings.” On the whole, every element in the garden has a symbolic meaning and should be studied so it is used correctly.
Furthermore, Japanese rock gardens have positive health effects on people. The gardens of Japan, places of tranquility, are designed for personal meditation and contemplation (Douglas
82). Studies show the effects of gardens in patient’s lives. Detweiler, an Assistant Professor of
Psychiatric Services at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salem, Virginia, did one case study using a dementia wander garden at the Virginia Veterans Care Center (VVCC) in
Roanoke, Virginia. The patient was a widowed, 74 year-old, white male with preexisting medical conditions and a recent victim of a stroke. The patient was active in his community, living alone, and a deacon at his church, but had consequently become unable to perform daily tasks. During the patient’s therapy sessions, he became bored. Being stuck inside, he asked to have the therapy moved outside. The team of therapists at VVCC first attempted to have the patient use his hemiwalker to travel from his room to the main lobby, a total distance of 250 feet, but the patient was reluctant to carry out therapy in such a public setting. The second idea came when the therapists chose to spotlight the longing of the patient to have his therapy outdoors. The team suggested using the dementia wander garden. The garden was private, easy to navigate, and supplied the patient with preliminary training for a typical outdoor setting with natural textures such as mulch, concrete, and grass. Over the next several months, the patient learned to steer his hemi-

Jongeling 7 walker to and through the garden. The therapy sessions’ time allotment was increased every month as he improved. When the study was published, the patient was now fulfilling his daily tasks, transferring from bed to standing, standing to sitting in automobiles, chair to standing, and walking short distances, considered more than 350 feet, with his hemi-walker. The patient also achieved his individual goal – attending church back in his home town.
An additional study was conducted with women recovering from breast cancer surgery.
Therapists guided the patients through nature activities three times a week for three months.
When researchers compared experimental and control groups, they found the women that had participated in the nature activities had significant improvement in concentration (Detweiler).
“Have you ever notice how just being around plants makes you feel better?” The
Horticultural Therapy Services department at the Chicago Botanical Gardens presents an assortment of educational and therapeutic programs which all use plants to assist personal growth in body, mind, and spirit. The services claim mental health is capable of being improved by reducing stress by granting a “calming, restorative experience” (Rothert). Experiencing calmness and restoration comes from planting, potting, gardening, or even walking through a non-threatening, natural, garden (Detweiler). The calming restorative therapy is found in numerous places, including, but not limited to: hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, assisted living centers, and group homes (Rothert). More and more we are reading studies, like the ones previously referred to, that suggest the positive health effects of nature, and as the current generation ages, care facilities search for new rehabilitation techniques. Detweiler advises horticultural therapy because it presents powerful treatment modality in rehabilitation programs, and adds that although it may be difficult to conclude results from a single case, more controlled studies of stroke patients are being conducted at long-term facilities. Overall, people facing

Jongeling 8 difficult times experience feelings of disconnection and separation from the people they love and the life they knew, but taking a walk through a garden can help because plants facilitate connections to living things and persuade purposeful actions (Rothert).
“The gardens of Japan and China possess a subtle beauty that is both enigmatic and profoundly simple. To the Western eye, these gardens seem exotic, mysterious, and captivating, because they are so different. Even though many Westerners have traveled in the East and almost everyone has access to its gardens through photographs, books, magazines, the Oriental garden continues to perplex and to delight.” (Douglas 82)
Finally, all the elements of the Japanese rock gardens provide complex religious history, symbolic meanings, and positive health effects. These gardens have influenced people over many centuries by changing gardening techniques, and evolving into more than just simple backyard gardens, but the heart and soul of the Japanese rock gardens remains the same. Japanese rock gardens will continue to be a constant, never-changing standard of tranquility and peace in the world.

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Works Cited
Bequette, France. "Greenwatch: Gardens of the Far East." The Unesco Courier 1
May 1997: Research Library, ProQuest. Web. 1 Oct. 2009.
This article tells of the importance of the elements of rocks and water in the rock gardens.
This author is a professional journalist for The Unesco Courier , a Paris newspaper. The article gives history, elements, and quotes.
Detweiler, Mark B. and Carlena Warf. “Dementia Wander Garden Aids Post Cerebrovascular
Stroke Restorative Therapy: A Case Study.”
Alternative Therapies in Health and
Medicine 11.4 (2005): 54-58. Research Library, ProQuest. Web. 7 Oct. 2009.
This case study was done with patients suffering from dementia and tells of improved attention and relieved stress the garden brings. The study was done by a medical doctor and RCNA in Virginia. This study gives examples of a garden being used as a health benefit.
Douglas, Frey, Johnson, Littlefield et al.. Garden Design . New York, New York: Simon &
Schuster, Inc., 1987. 24-25, 82-83. Print.
The first part gives history of Oriental garden arts, and pages 82- 84 give the Oriental
Style and Westerners take on the traditional gardens. This book is written and photographed by professionals who include editor-in-chiefs, leading garden designers,
Harvard graduates, founding editors, and landscape architects. It was used because this book was the base of the first research and idea.

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François, Bertier.
Reading Zen in the Rocks - The Japanese Dry Landscape Garden . Chicago:
The University of Chicago, 2000. 42-43. Print.
This translation is about the beginning of Zen and the connection to rock gardens. The original was written by a professor of Japanese art and history. This source was used because it tells about the effects of Japanese gardens and history of Zen.
Helland, Phil. Personal Interview. 13 Oct. 2009.
This personal interview is professional insight to gardens and landscaping. The interviewee is a professional landscaper and has landscaping for years. He told me about his personal experiences and knowledge.
Miller, Pasty. "The Japanese Garden: Gateway to the Human Spirit.” Rev. of: International
Journal of Humanities and Peace 21.1 (2005): 109-110. Research Library, ProQuest.
Web. 1 Oct. 2009.
This book review tells about the religions that influence Japanese gardens. The author is the professor of ecology at Oregon State University. The review gives backgrounds of the religions that made Japanese gardens what they are.
Rothert, Gene. “Using Plants for Human Health and Well-Being.”
Palaestra 1 Jan. 2007:
Research Library, ProQuest. Web. 7 Oct. 2009.
This article is a collection of studies done to prove the positive effects of gardens. The article was written by the manager of the Chicago Botanic Garden. This article gives examples of things done at various places like hospitals, clinics, and schools to improve health.

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"Stone In the Japanese Rock Garden." The Helpful Gardener.
N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2009.
<http://www.helpfulgardener.com/japanese/2003/garden.html>.
This website article gives helpful information about stones used in the Japanese rock gardens. This website has been running for four years and is thorough in information with a forum that won BusinessWeek’s Best of the Web 2008. The article gave information on the different rocks and meanings.