Japanese Gardens-The Basics

Zen

Styles

Elements

Conclusion

Garden Styles

The Japanese describe many garden styles, but there are five basic styles:
Several distinct styles can exist together were the influence of one style can be seen on another

• Hill and Pond Garden

• The Karesansui or Dry Landscape Garden

• The Tea Garden or Roji

• The Stroll Garden

• The Courtyard Garden

Hill and Pond Garden
This is the oldest style-Which constitutes the main body of Japanese garden styles of which there are many variations
Shrubs are trimmed to complement the undulating contours of mountains and clouds, as well as to maintain scale
This style is prominent, as it resembles the natural landscape of Japan

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The Karesansui or Dry Landscape Garden
This type of garden is traditionally associated with Zen temples and is usually a small space created as an aid to meditation where nature is reduced and suggested, using only stones, raked gravel and a minimum of plants
Gardens of this type depend absolutely on the quality, the beauty and the form of each individual stone

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The Tea Garden or Roji
The Tea Garden or Roji literally means 'Dewy Path' and is simply a stepping stone path, modelled after a mountain trail leading to, and providing a setting for the teahouse
The journey along the path was intended as a psychological cleansing, leaving worldly cares behind, so that one entered into a quieter and more serene state of mind, as was necessary for the tea ceremony

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The Stroll Garden
Movement is around a pond and islands, employing the concepts of 'Hide and Reveal' and 'Movement along the diagonal'
Contrasting with the other garden styles, the entire Stroll Garden cannot be viewed from any one point and requires active participation to experience it fully
This type of garden illustrates how to lead you through a series of garden experiences and make maximum use of the space available

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The Courtyard Garden
This type of garden is popular in Japan due to space limitations
The smallest of these courtyard gardens are called tsubo-niwa, a tsubo being the basic square measure used in Japan for calculating space and is equal to 3.3m²
These gardens are very private, meant to be seen up close, often in passing, as people move from room to room

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