Sreekanth P. S.
B. Arch IVth Year
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Introduction
Essential Aspects
Design Principles
Basic rules in the design of Japanese gardens
Elements of Japanese Garden
Types of Japanese Gardens
Case study
Bibliography
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The art of gardening is believed to be an important part of
Japanese culture for many centuries.
The garden design in Japan is strongly connected to the
philosophy and religion of the country.
Shinto, Buddhism and Taoism were used in the creation of
different garden styles 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.
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The line between garden and
its surrounding landscape is
not distinct.
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Gardens incorporate natural
and artificial elements and
thus, fuse the elements of
nature and architecture.
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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.
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Nature is the ideal that you must strive for. You can idealize it,
even symbolize it, but you must never create something that
nature itself cannot.
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Balance, or sumi. The proportions and spaces are an essential
Design principle
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The “emptiness” of portions of the garden. This space, or ma,
defines the elements around it, and is also defined by the
elements surrounding it. It is the true spirit of yin and yang.
Without nothing, you cannot have something. It is a central tenet
of Japanese gardening.
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Hill and pond and flat styles can be shin (formal), gyo
(intermediate) or so (informal).
Formal styles were most often found at temples or palaces,
the intermediate styles were appropriate for most
residences, and
the informal style was relegated to peasant huts and
mountain retreats. The tea garden is always in the informal
style.
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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
Both the concepts of ma and 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.
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In spring one revels in the bright green of new buds and the
blossoms of the azaleas.
In summer you appreciate the contrasts of the lush foliage painted
against the cool shadows and the splash of koi in the pond.
Fall wrests the brilliant colors from dying leaves as they slip into the
deathly hush of winter, the garden buried under a shroud of snow.
Winters is as much a garden season in Japan as spring. The Japanese
refer to snow piled on the branches of trees as sekku, or snow
blossoms, and there is a lantern known as yukimi that is named the
snow viewing lantern.
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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.
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.
POND
WATERFALL
Rock – an important feature
Natural: that should make the garden look as if it grew by itself
 Asymmetry: that creates the impression of it being natural
 Odd numbers: It supports 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 tranquility and tension
 Curves: that softens the effect
 Openness: that indicates interaction between all elements
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a stone lantern representing four natural elements: earth,
water, fire and wind
statues of male and female lions, placed at the entrance of the
garden in order to protect the garden from intruders,
representing the two opposite forces: yin and yang (fire and
water, male and female).
water basin known as a deer chaser, which keep deer away by
making a special sound when filled up
the koi fish swimming in ponds, which has a decorative meaning
typical Japanese bridge, called a moonbridge, whose purpose is
to reflect artistic feelings.
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Ponds, waterfalls, wells,
bridges (real or symbolic)
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Stepping stones, Garden
paths
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Stone water basins, stone
lanterns
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Garden plants and trees
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Fences and walls
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Stones
•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
secluded forest.
•Wells are sometimes found in a
Japanese garden.
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Usually used in tea gardens.
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flat stepping stones served to
preserve the grass as well as
orient the viewer to a specific
visual experience.
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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.
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Two kinds of stone water basinskazari- chozubachi, which is kept
near the verandah
tsukubai for tea garden
Stone lanterns are placed besides
prominent water basins whose
luminance underscored the
unfinished beauty of the tea
aesthetic.
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Garden of the 10th to 12th centuries
contained cherry, plum trees, pines
and willows.
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Influence of the Zen sect and
watercolor painting from Southern
China transformed the colorful
Japanese garden in the Middle Ages.
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Flowers, flowering plants and shrubs
were regarded as signs of frivolity and
were replaced by evergreen trees that
symbolized eternity.
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Japanese garden is predominately green with
its use of evergreen trees.
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When flowering trees found in Japanese
garden are camelias, specifically the tsubaki
and sazanka.
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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
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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 on 2.5 to 4" pendulous
raceme; attractive samara in
fall
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
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Scientific Name: Alnus japonica
Site Requirements: Sun to partial
shade; range of soil types
including wet and infertile soil
 Form: Slender, narrow upright
habit
 Height: 12 to 25’
 Leaf: Oval, narrow leaves
 Flower/Fruit: Yellow brown to red
brown catkins (male flowers);
female flowers on short purplish
brown strobili which persist until
winter
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Scientific Name: Aralia elata
Growth Rate: Rapid
Site Requirements: Sun to
partial shade; range of soil types
but prefers moist, well drained
soil
Texture: Medium
Form: Irregular to spreading;
often multi-stemmed
Height: 20 to 40’
Leaf: 3 to 5.5" compound leaves;
yellow to reddish purple fall
color
Flower/Fruit: 12 to 18" white
flowers in August; purple fruit
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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
Scientific Name: Carpinus
japonica
 Growth Rate: Slow
 Site Requirements: Sun to light
shade; moist well drained soil
but tolerates a range of soil
types
 Texture: Medium
 Form: Rounded; densely
branched; wide spreading
branches
 Height: 20 to 30'
 Leaf: 2 to 4.5" leaves; yellow to
nonshowy fall color
 Flower/Fruit: 2 to 2.5" fruit
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Scientific Name
Cornus officinalis
 Growth Rate: Moderate
 Site Requirements: Sun to partial
shade; range of soil types
 Texture: Medium
 Form: Picturesque; multi-stemmed ;
low branches; oval to round habit
 Height: 15 to 25'
 Leaf: 4" opposite, simple leaves;
purple fall color
 Flower/Fruit: Cluster of short stalked
yellow flowers with drooping bracts
on naked stems in early spring; .5"
shiny red fruit in clusters in fall
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Scientific Name: Cryptomeria japonica
Habit: Evergeen
Growth Rate: Moderate
Site Requirements: Sun to light, high
shade; rich deep, well drained soil but will
thrive in a range of soil types
 Texture: Fine to medium
 Form: Pyramidal; semiformal
 Height: 50 to 60'
 Leaf: Awl shaped, bright to blue-green
foliage; smooth to the touch; bronze tones
in winter, especially if exposed to wind.
 Flower/Fruit: Small terminal cones
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There are three types of fences:
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the short fence which extends from
the house into the garden
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an inner fence and an outer fence.
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Short fences or sodegaki are
screens that hide unwanted views or
objects.
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They are about 6 or 7 feet high.
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Add color and texture to the garden.
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Materials used are bamboo, wood
and twigs of bamboo or tree.
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For the garden to be a true retreat, we must first seal it away from
the outside world. Once it is enclosed, we must create a method
(and a mindset) to enter and leave our microcosm. Fences and gates
are as important to the Japanese garden as lanterns and maples.
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As with most things associated with the garden the fence and gates
have deep symbolic meaning as well as specific function. We are
encouraged to view the garden as a separate world in which we
have no worries or concerns. The fence insulates us from the outside
world and the gate is the threshold where we both discard our
worldly cares and then prepare ourselves to once again face the
world.
Courtyards include a modern
alfresco (sheltered outdoor living)
area with a lush backdrop of
plants.
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Stones are fundamental elements
of Japanese gardens.
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Stones used are not quarried by
the hand of man, but of stones
shaped by nature only
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Used to construct the garden's
paths, bridges, and walkways.
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Represent a geological presence
where actual mountains are not
viewable or present. They are
placed in odd numbers and a
majority of the groupings reflect
triangular shapes
They are artificial
mountains usually, built in
gardens.
 Generally between one
and five of the hills are
built.
 They are made up of
ceramics, dried wood or
strangely-shaped stones.
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Refers to a relatively small cave or
hollow set underneath the ground
near a washbasin in the garden.
The hollow produces a harp-like
echoing sound effect as water
drips into the hollow. Thus, it
provides a mysterious sound for
people strolling through the
garden.
They are generally located the at
gates of the garden.
The excess water running over the
edge of the tsukubai drops down
onto polished pebbles below.
Below the ground is another large
basin, often a ceramic vase.
•The art of Bonsai involves the training
of everyday shrubs such as pine,
cypress, holly, cedar, cherry, maple, and
beech to look like old, large trees in
miniature form.
•The trees are usually less than one
meter high and kept small by pruning,
re-potting, growth pinching, and wiring
the branches.
•Bonseki is the art of developing
miniature landscapes which may
include smallest of rock pieces to
represent mountains.
The Japanese garden can include three possible methods for
scenery:
 The first is the reduced scale scenery method. The reduced
scale method takes actual natural elements and reproduces
them on a smaller scale.
 The second technique called symbolization and it involves
generalization and abstraction; this could be accomplished
by using white sand to simulate the ocean.
 Borrowed views is a technique that refers to artistic use of
elements that imply scenes other than those actually
portrayed. An example of this would be a painting of a house
in the city with a seaside dock in the middle of the street to
imply a seascape scene.
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ROCKS AND BOULDERS
REPRESENTING
MOUNTAINS
POOL REPRESENT
LAKES.
RAKED SAND
REPRESENT OCEAN.
NON RECTILINEAR SHAPED WATER BODY
1.Karesansui Gardens or dry gardens
2.Tsukiyama Gardens or hill garden
3.Chaniwa Gardens or tea gardens
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Also known as rock gardens and
waterless stream gardens.
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Influenced by Zen Buddhism and can
be found at Zen temples of
meditation
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Found in the front or rear gardens at
the residences.
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No water presents in gardens. raked
gravel or sand that simulates the
feeling of water.
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The rocks/gravel used are chosen for
their artistic shapes, and mosses as
well as small shrubs.
Plants are much less important (and
sometimes nonexistent)
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Rocks and moss are used to
represent ponds, islands, boats,
seas, rivers, and mountains in an
abstract way.
Gardens were meant to be viewed
from a single, seated perspective.
Rocks in karesansui are often
associated with Chinese mountains
such as Mt. Penglai or Mt. Lu.
Karesansui.
Stones are usually off-white or grey
though the occasional red or black
stone were added later.
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They strive to make a smaller
garden appear more
spacious.
Shrubs are utilized to block
views of surrounding
buildings.
The gardens main focus is on
nearby mountains in the
distance.
The garden has the
mountains as part of its
grounds.
Ponds, streams, hills, stones,
trees, flowers, bridges, and
paths are also used frequently
in this style as opposed to a
flat garden.
They are built for tea
ceremonies.
 Tea house is where the
ceremonies occur, and the
styles of both the hut and
garden are based off the simple
concepts of the sado.
 There are stepping stones
leading to the tea house, stone
lanterns, and stone basins
where guests purify themselves
before a ceremony.
 The teahouse is screened by
hedges to create a sense of
remoteness
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Courtyard gardens are small gardens.
One tsubo is a Japanese measurement equaling 3.3 square
meters
The origin of the tsubo niwa lies in the 15th century when
Japan's economy was thriving. A lot of merchants had large
house with several storage buildings around it. The first
courtyard gardens were made in the open spaces between the
house and the storage buildings.
The elements of a courtyard garden are similar to the elements
of a tea garden, however more shade tolerant plants are used.
The design principles of traditional Japanese courtyard gardens,
are very suited for create contemporary small spaces on roofs or
terraces
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These are large landscape gardens. Often
existing landscapes are reproduced on a
smaller scale, or an imaginary landscape is
created.
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These are pleasure gardens, mostly built
during the Edo-period. Most of these gardens
are now public parks
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Ryoan-ji (or The Temple of the Peaceful Dragon) is a Zen temple
located in northwest Kyoto, Japan. Belonging to the Myoshin-ji
school of the Rinzai branch of Zen Buddhism, the temple is one of
the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, a UNESCO World
Heritage Site.
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An object of interest near the rear of the monks quarters is the
carved stone receptacle into which water for ritual purification
continuously flows. This is the Ryoan-ji tsukubai, which translates
literally as "crouch;" and the lower elevation of the basin requires
the user to bend a little bit to reach the water, which suggests
supplication and reverence.
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To many, the temple's name is synonymous with the temple's
famous karesansui (dry landscape) rock garden, thought to have
been built in the late 1400s.
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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.
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It is traditionally said that only through attaining enlightenment
would one be able to view the fifteenth boulder.
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The researchers propose that the implicit structure of the garden is
designed to appeal to the viewers unconscious visual sensitivity to
axial-symmetry skeletons of stimulus shapes. In support of their
findings, they found that imposing a random perturbation of the
locations of individual rock features destroyed the special
characteristics.
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Lake of 1.25 hectares was dug, hills and
islands were formed, beaches made,
pavilions built and planting undertaken.
Has 16 bridges connecting the lake.
Lake used for boating parties and the
surrounding land as a stroll garden, in effect
a tea garden on an enormous scale.
The 'Katsura Tree' (Cercidiphyllum
japonicum) was associated with the God of
the Moon and the garden has a platform to
view its rising.
There are 23 stone lanterns to light the stroll
path after dark.
Stone basins were used for hand-washing
before a tea ceremony.
Garden designed not only for meditation
(Zen) but also for ceremonious courtly
pleasures.
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Japanese Gardens by Gunter Nitschke
Slawson, David A. Secret Teachings in the Art
of Japanese Gardens
Yagi, Koji A Japanese Touch for Your Home
Wikipedia.com
Flickr.com