The way how ponds were built in Japan changed massively over time.
In this article I want to introduce the ancient way and the more recent methods.
Let’s begin when rich people wanted to build private gardens in the outskirts of Kyoto in as early as the Heian period (794-1185).
There were still no electric pumps, to easily move water and no water from the pipe.
Ponds were built in places where water was naturally available.
Either a small pond already existed at the side which only had to be remodeled, a small river was nearby which’s water could be used, or the ground water was easy to reach. Sometimes, a well could also be used.
Only in the Kamakura period (1185-1333) it became popular to use clay or loam for a better waterproofing of ponds. Before, a lot of new incoming water was needed to keep the level because the ground of the pond was only covered with sand and gravel.
However, flowing water was still necessary for a healthy nutrition balance to prevent algae from growing and to keep the fauna and flora alive.
A pond was build after seeing the natural conditions in the garden. The terrain wasn’t changed much by using existing hills and hollows.
If a pond was integrated, the excess soil was used to create even more hills or making existing hills higher. Sometimes, it was put aside to use again when building islands.
Before concrete was used in Japan, islands were incorporated later into a pond after the basic shape has already been created.
Rocks were set in a way to hold back the soil and prevent it from getting washed into the pond. You may know the Japanese ability to build stone walls without mortar and by fitting every rock perfectly into the gap. In this way it was possible to create natural shorelines that stayed in place.
To some extent, single rocks looking out of the water like small islands could be set like this as well. Small rocks beneath the water surface kept bigger rocks in place.
During the Meiji period, however, concrete was introduced to Japan and this changed everything.
Now, it was possible to create ponds and islands differently.
Often, the whole ponds, if not too big, were now lined with concrete. It was just too convenient for modeling the shorelines, keeping the water in, and also to create islands.
While still using old techniques, mortar and concrete is used to hold everything together and when creating islands, they are now often left out instead of implemented later.
What do you think about the typical Japanese way to use traditional and modern techniques together in one project?
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Nick
Hi Anika, thank you for sharing this information. I am always keen to learn more about Japanese gardens and haven’t thought about the traditional pond construction. Are there any ponds recently built in the old style that can be visited?