Japanese gardens can be seen everywhere: in traditional Japanese house designs, tea rooms in the style of Sen no Rikyu, historic sites, etc. Unlike Chinese gardens or Western gardens, Japanese gardens strongly express the Wabi Sabi style with the desire to live close to nature, respect the beauty of nature and cherish every moment of life to make life more beautiful. 

If you want to know more about Japanese gardens, let’s explore the beauties and principles of each garden design style in this blog.

Japanese Garden Style

The art of Japanese gardens began to take shape around the 6th century. However, just like the Japanese tea ceremony culture that originated in China, when it came to Japan, it developed to become a feature of this country.

Nara Period – Kyokusui style Garden

The history of Japanese gardens dates back to the Asuka period. Kyokusui gardens are a type of garden designed with a winding stream of water between flower beds and plants planted along the shore. At this garden, the nobility used to play a game called “Kyokusui no Utage“. In this traditional game, a cup of sake floats along the water in bird-shaped boats. The nobles had to compose a poem before the goblet drifted toward them.

Heian Period – Shinden-zukuri style garden

During the Heian period, the nobility built Shinden-style gardens that represented the Buddhist concept that flourished at that time. In garden design, the lake represents the sea and river as well as their immensity and vastness. Therefore, rocks placed in the lake will represent islands in the sea. However, depending on the position of the shallow and deep stones, the artisan shows the upstream and downstream parts respectively.

In the mid-Heian period, the Shinden-zukuri gardens transformed into Jodo style gardens. It is believed that crossing the bridge to the temple located in the middle of the lake is like reaching the Buddha Realm.

Kamakura Period – Karesansui style garden

From the Asuka period to the Heian period, gardens appeared only in the landscape of the nobles’ houses. However, from the Kamakura period onwards, the Japanese garden landscape style changed significantly to Shoin-zukuri – dry garden miniatures.

The idea of not using water in the Japanese gardens was originated by Buddhist monks during meditation, expressing their desire to be free from suffering in life. The whole garden using only sand, gravel, rocks, shrubs, etc. is called a Zen garden – dry garden and these Karesansui gardens developed rapidly until the Muromachi period.

Muromachi Period – Kansho style garden

During the Muromachi period, Japanese landscape architecture reached the pinnacle of art and Wabi Sabi style – featuring the beauty of imperfections. The main elements in the garden during this period include: small stream, a Koi pond, a bamboo fence, etc.

Momoyama Period – Roji Garden

Sen no Rikyu has imbued and successfully applied the Wabi Sabi philosophy to tea ceremony culture. Since then, a new style of tea ceremony has flourished. In Japanese tea room design, there is a small garden called Roji Garden.

The Japanese tea garden is a separate place with an outside and spatial transition. After entering the garden, you will feel peaceful. Follow this path to cleanse your soul and enter the spiritual world before enjoying tea.

Edo Period – Daimyo style garden

The Edo period marked the development of the Daimyo garden style through various designs in the mansions or castles of the wealthy nobility or Samurai. The main elements in Daimyo-style gardens are: a large lake, a stone or wooden bridge, an island in the middle of the lake, a private area for tea ceremonies, bonsai, etc.

Meiji Period 

From the Meiji period until nowadays, Japanese gardens with creative design and modern style were born one after another. Strongly influenced by the processes of modernization and globalization, Japanese gardens began to be built in residential areas or parks with the aim of creating beautiful landscapes where people live.

Types of Japanese gardens

Japanese gardens follow the way of expression

Each Japanese garden is a work of art and the important thing in Japanese garden design is how each person perceives that garden. How is it expressed? How will viewers feel when looking at that garden?

To answer the above questions, we would like to introduce 3 basic garden styles below:

• Jodo Garden: The garden presents a scene across the ocean to the area of Pure Land Buddhism, seeking rebirth through the use of a large lake and shrine as the main backdrop.
• Horai Garden: Craftsmen use images of sea turtles and cranes as symbols of longevity, small islands (rocks) are put together in the shape of Horai Mountain, symbolizing the wishes for a long life.
• Shukkeishiki Garden: Through real natural landscapes, the craftsmen use the technique of squeezing the scene to shrink the size with the right proportions to create a Shukkeishiki garden.

Japanese gardens follow the way of feeling

Not every Japanese garden is easy to see because of the hidden meaning that the artist put into his design. Sometimes, we have to flexibly use our imagination to visualize and feel the beauty of the Japanese garden in different ways.

• Karensansui Garden: famous as the dry garden or Zen garden. This is a garden style that does not use the element of water but uses large rocks, gravel, sand, green trees, etc.
• Chisen Garden: a Japanese garden designed with a lake (pond) combined with flowing water to create a sense of time passing by. Trees and flowers around the garden make it full of life.
• Tsukiyama Garden: A garden uses rockeries as a depiction of Japan’s majestic mountains. Through the use of Koi fish, miniature hills, waterfalls, flowers, trees, etc. to simulate the true nature of the land of the “country of sun-rising”.

Japanese gardens follow the way of enjoying

Without relying on metaphorical elements or the viewer’s perception, this style of Japanese garden is classified into the following basic forms:

• Roji Garden: a garden located at the entrance of the tea site leading to the Japanese tea room, which is considered a place to get rid of all stress, and be away from the busy and noisy life outside. 
• Kaiyushiki Garden: The beauty of this kind of garden can be enjoyed from many different perspectives by walking around. Many people call it a walking garden when referring to Kaiyushiki.
• Kansho Garden: a garden that can be viewed while sitting inside buildings such as Hojo or Shoin. Besides, Kansho is divided into 2 types when viewed from one perspective (sitting position) or multiple perspectives.
• Shuyushiki Garden: like Kaiyushiki Garden, Shuyushiki can be viewed from many different locations. But if you use a boat to see the scenery, it is called Shuyushiki Garden.

Features of Japanese gardens

Japanese gardens are not only a way to decorate the space but also express the spirit and philosophy of life through the use of elements including: stones, pebbles, plants, etc. Japanese gardens are not only ordinary landscape architecture but also works of art, reflecting the change of life, aesthetic experience, philosophy, worldview of the owner.

When mentioning the name of a famous Japanese garden, listeners can immediately imagine the features of that garden. It may be a garden that shows a love for the ocean, a desire to go beyond the barriers and constraints of life. It can also be a garden with a quiet, peaceful mountain style. Or it is a garden filled with colors of plants, flowers and leaves, where the change of nature in the 4 seasons of Spring – Summer – Autumn – Winter can be felt.

Water

Water in a Japanese garden landscape design can be in ponds, lakes, streams, waterfalls or Tsukubai (wash basins in front of the tea room), etc. Depending on the wishes of the homeowner, the water may represent different meanings.

There are many natural landscapes that are included in the design of Japanese gardens. In other words, Japanese garden art lovers can understand the symbolic meaning of the shape of water.

Rocks

If you want to find a Japanese style garden that is right for you, you should understand the meaning of the items used in the garden. Because, even a stone if placed in different places has completely different meanings. When you understand those layers of meaning, you are sure to find a garden that stimulates your sensibilities, suits your taste, and is especially in tune with your soul.

The rockeries in the pond represent the island in an extensive ocean. Rocks lying deep below the ground represent the stillness of the mountains. The big rocks represent the majestic scenery. When looking at the Japanese garden, can you feel the artist’s artistic intent in each stone?

Sand and Gravel

When it comes to sand and gravel, it can only be Karesansui Garden. Instead of using water, Zen garden style uses sand (white) and stones to represent the flow and movement of water. Viewers are able to perceive the image of water flowing through sand ripples, swirling or stretching like an endless flow.

Plants

While rocks or stones represent eternity, plants represent living “beings”. All living things are born with the same fate as the human’s birth, old age, sickness and death. Let’s feel the growth and development of four-season plants right in the garden, thereby understanding the meaning of life and natural operation through the changes of nature.

Moss

In landscape design, moss plays an important role when the viewer can see and feel the changes in the garden. Moss gives a fresh green color to stones. Moss also shows that the Japanese appreciate the sign of time – a beautiful Wabi Sabi style.

Bridges

Bridges are often used to link areas in a garden into a unified whole. There are many ways to design the bridge, depending on the bridge building materials: stone, wood with different scales. BThe bridgealso has spiritual and philosophical meanings, representing the cohesion, perfection, and balance of nature.

Bamboo fence

When it comes to bamboo in a Japanese garden, people often think of the bamboo fences used to separate the space, the bamboo plumbing in the tea room, or the water scoop where the Tsukubai is placed.

Bamboo appears a lot in Japanese garden design not because of its toughness but because of its deep meaning:

• Symbol of good luck and prosperity
• Symbol of strength but also flexibility
• Symbol of imperfection
• Symbol of transformation, humility, the desire to overcome difficulties in life

Reasons why Japanese garden are popular

Be in harmony with nature

Japan is a country where 70% of the land area is hilly, so Japanese people always want to recreate the natural scenery in their garden landscape architectural designs. The Japanese garden is picturesque throughout the four seasons, with a peaceful space that helps to connect people with nature.

Looking at the Japanese garden also helps relieve stress, fatigue, and enhances physical and mental health. The Japanese garden is a place to relax and recharge your energy. The use of natural materials is also how the Japanese protect and maintain natural resources.

Be diverse in design style

Japanese gardens are diverse in design style. From the Asuka period to the present, many styles have emerged in accordance with the goals and wishes of the owners in each period, reflecting periods of Japanese history and different schools of art.

In the design process, the Japanese garden not only adorns the living space, but also reflects the views of life, philosophy of life, religious thought and the beauty of the human soul in nature.

Summary

A Japanese garden is a beauty in the architecture and landscape design of the “country of the Rising Sun”. If you like the Japanese garden style, please contact us for detailed advice for your home.

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