Japanese Garden History Part 2 – Kamakura to Momoyama Period（日本庭園歴史　鎌倉時代 – 安土桃山時代）

Discover how power shifts shaped Japan’s dry landscape and tea garden traditions

To fully appreciate Japanese gardens, it helps to understand the historical forces that shaped them. As political power shifted away from the imperial court during the Kamakura (1185–1333), Muromachi (1336–1573), and Momoyama (1573–1600) periods, so too did garden design evolve.

During these centuries, Zen Buddhism took root in Japan, bringing with it a new aesthetic. Monks and military rulers alike embraced dry landscape gardens (karesansui)—stripped-down compositions of rock and gravel meant to inspire meditation. Unlike the lush pond gardens of the Heian period, these gardens emphasized simplicity, abstraction, and inner reflection.

Later, in the Momoyama period, the tea ceremony became increasingly influential. This led to the development of tea gardens (roji)—spaces designed to guide guests on a quiet, spiritual journey toward the teahouse.

This second part of our series explores the evolution of garden aesthetics as samurai rule and Zen philosophy took center stage. With each shift in power, gardens transformed—offering not just beauty, but deep cultural meaning.

Read more in our eBook!

Japanese Garden History (2)

Japanese Garden History Part 2 – Kamakura to Momoyama Period shows how Zen and the tea ceremony reshaped Japanese gardens
Learn more before your visit—or revisit from home.

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eBook Contents

• The Kamakura period and the rise of Zen
  • Shoin-zukuri and first semi-professional gardeners
  • Musō Soseki
• The Muromachi period
  • Transformation of Saihō-ji temple and Tenryū-ji temple
  • The Ashikaga shoguns and their temple residences
  • Three types of dry landscape gardens
• The Azuchi-Momoyama period
  • Kobori Enshū and his karikomi pruning style
  • Tea gardens
• Summary

19 pages full of information about the History of Japanese Gardens.
31 pictures of gardens,
illustrations, and art.

PDF 36MB
The eBook is delivered as PDF.

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Gallery

Kamakura to Momoyama Japanese Gardens