The Kamakura and Muromachi eras hold the answer to my third question of dry landscape gardens – is there more to their compositions than the restraint and unnaturalness that they project? The effect upon these karesansui (“withered mountain-water”) gardens from the practice of meditation from Zen Buddhism was profound. They...Continue Reading
Through the act of creating a garden, there is an inherent manipulation of nature. However, in the early forms of Japanese gardening, this was undertaken in order to serve nature and the deities that lived within the ‘garden objects’, such as rocks. It is true that many civilizations’ globally have...Continue Reading
The first thing that must be appreciated when referring to the ‘traditional Japanese garden’ is that this spans a great history of many different eras, possibly to the origins of tangible culture upon this island. Thus, the history of gardens incorporates many evolutionary forms from their simplistic beginnings. In extremely...Continue Reading
I would like to leave with the following short series of posts about the history of traditional Japanese gardens. During my time at RJG, I delved into their realms to begin understanding the complex reasons and methods behind their creation and composition. To begin this series, I would like to...Continue Reading
Sadly my time here at RJG has come to an end, all too quickly! I would like to leave with a little note of thank you and my parting thoughts… Why did I come to Japan to study gardens? Because here, gardening is not just about gardens. The tea ceremony...Continue Reading
I wanted to write a short blog highlighting what I think is a great attribute of traditional Japanese gardens: their environmental benefits and thus an important dimension for the continued and enhanced conservation efforts. This first struck me because of an affinity I feel between them and a Site of...Continue Reading
Recently I ventured around Tokyo in search of a relatively new style of garden. I wanted to explore the differences that have taken place between the creation of traditional Japanese gardens and contemporary ones. The Japanese have a reputation for being creative, not least in the garden – so what...Continue Reading
In December last year I visited Tokyo’s Hamarikyu Edo era garden, which lies low on the original coastline of the city. It is a relatively large garden spreading in the mounds of man-made mountains, across a tidal pond, duck-hunting grounds and salt fields beneath the cities towering heights. It was...Continue Reading
Late last year, we had a surprise visit to a traditional machiya (town house) in Tokyo. I love houses made from hand-hewn stone, however those from carved wood hold a different sense of specialness. With wood comes delicate, warm aromas and a sense of shifting time – a settling and...Continue Reading
The third and final day was one of interesting contrasts. It began with a modern twist on the traditional Japanese garden, despite being one of the oldest Shinto shrines in Japan (dating to 701 AD). This is the infamous Matsuno-taisha, in which it is said that worship started here after...Continue Reading
