garden development
Garden Element: The Torii 鳥居
After seeing friends, who reside in Japan, accused of cultural appropriation when wearing kimono by non-Japanese, I wanted to question the torii as a design element in the garden outside of Japan. Is using them cultural appropriation? Starting my research, I asked our mostly non-Japanese followers on Facebook: do you think it is ok to […]
On the relationship of traditional Japanese gardens to nature. Is a balance between the gardener and nature important and is equilibrium sought within their creation?
Man and Nature: The Early Philosophy of Japanese Gardens 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 […]
Reasons for traditional Japanese gardens, in consideration of religious beliefs and recreation over time
The Origins and Evolution of Traditional Japanese Gardens 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 […]
A brief look into the history and concept of a traditional Japanese garden
Exploring the History of Traditional Japanese Gardens 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 […]