A garden can be a wonderful addition to any house, providing a lovely and peaceful place to relax and enjoy the outdoors. You can design a garden that fits your space and way of life, whether you have a tiny balcony or a backyard. There are different types of gardens, such as Persian, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, etc. Today, we will explore the different types of Japanese gardens. They might inspire your backyard garden or a city park.
We have read of Emperors, monks, warriors, politicians, and industrialists who built some glorious gardens throughout history. These gardens were for recreational and religious purposes and memorials. Because they are a blessing to the environment and provide a calm, pleasant atmosphere, gardens are necessary for our daily lives. This Japanese garden, which is a seamless blend of innovative, spiritual, and traditional methods, gives both inspiration and ideas for garden creation.
What is a Japanese Garden?
One of the most significant elements of traditional Japanese art is the Japanese garden, which has amazing garden design ideas. Japanese people invest a lot of time and effort into creating great gardens because they cherish nature. Japanese garden types include Zen gardens, hill and pond gardens, and Japanese study gardens.
Japanese garden architects usually use natural landscapes rather than fancy and complicated designs. Japanese garden design involves the use of brilliant colours and naturally worn materials. They display a deep connection to Japan’s history and culture through their diverse styles.
According to Jiro Takei and Marc P. Keane (authors of the book – Sakuteiki – Visions of Japanese Garden), there were as different types and styles of gardens as there were garden owners. However, they all shared some common elements with the era’s architecture.
Japanese Garden Elements
Japanese garden design promotes peaceful thinking. Here is a summary of some elements typically used to create a pleasant retreat in a traditional Japanese garden.
a) Stone/ Rocks
b) Water and Water basins
c) Fish
d) Trees, Flowers and Japanese moss
e) Bridges and Lanterns
f) Entrance and Fencing
8 Different Types of Japanese Garden
Zen gardens, hill and pond gardens, and traditional Japanese tea gardens are the three primary types of Japanese gardens. Each has a specific meaning based on how it looks. Further, they are divided into two categories: walking gardens and gardens for viewing from a window or balcony. You can also build a terrace garden based on the Japanese garden theme. In addition, there are several types of Japanese garden designs.
- Japanese Rock Garden or Zen Garden
- Japanese Pond Garden
- Japanese Tea Garden
- Japanese Stroll Garden
- Japanese Courtyard Garden
- Japanese Paradise Garden
- Japanese Study Garden
- Hill and Pond Garden
Let’s have a detailed look:
01. Japanese Rock Garden or Zen Garden
The Japanese rock garden is the most famous Japanese-style garden. It is known as a Zen garden, a Japanese stone garden, or Dry Landscape Garden (Karesansui). Zen gardens reflect the spiritualism of Zen Buddhism and may date back to the master Zen. Japanese garden types have a close relationship to history since they follow the rules of art set by two old masters. Carefully placed rocks of various sizes and shapes, surrounded by sand, make up the dry landscape garden or Japanese rock garden.
Rocks are used to portray an island, which looks gorgeous with those shrubs and Japanese garden plants or flowering plants sown nearby. This offers space and simplicity that are perfect for meditation. Flowing sand and gravel portray the sea or rivers. Zen Gardens are located next to temple structures, not for enjoyment, but to benefit monks in their meditation and spiritual development.
Each component in a Zen garden has a deep symbolic meaning. The focus on abstract concepts aims to inspire the mind and improve thinking, two key elements of the meditation process. Seriousness (Koko), simplicity (Kanso), naturalness (Shinzen), asymmetry (Fukinsei), mystery or subtlety (Yugen), magical or unexpected (Datsuzoku), and stillness are the seven guiding principles used to define Zen gardens (Seijaku). A Zen garden must promote all these ideas.
02. Japanese Pond Garden
This garden style originated in China. The concept entered Japan during the Heian period, and thus the Japanese Pond Garden became one of the most loved types of Japanese gardens. In the Old Japanese Pond Garden, there is a large Japanese pond in front of a building with two unique wings where visitors can relax and breathe in the environment.
Chisen-shoyu-teien is the name of this Japanese-style garden. A lake or Japanese pond is an essential element of a pond garden. Compared to other Japanese landscaping, a Japanese Pond Garden is quite expensive to create and maintain. However, you can create a stunning small garden pond for your backyard garden by taking inspiration from the Japanese garden style.
03. Japanese Tea Garden
Traditional Japanese tea gardens (Chaniwa or roji) with tea ceremony houses came into existence in the 16th century to prepare visitors for the tea ceremony. This Japanese garden typically consists of two sections: an outer garden connected to its inner garden by a path, and an inner garden leading to the tea house. A covered gate divides the inner and outer gardens.
In a traditional Japanese garden, a stepping stone path leads from the entrance to the tea house. It is a tradition to wash your hands in the stone water basin in the garden before entering. Besides, Japanese moss symbolizes the passage of time, while stone lanterns offer both functional lighting and a dramatic aesthetic element. A trip to a Japanese tea garden is enjoyable because it offers harmony for the spirit and beauty for the eyes.
The main features of this type of garden are a small stone lantern, a stone basin, a middle gate, stepping stones, a bamboo pipe, and a large tea plant where white tea is produced. If you have a backyard and want to convert it into a beautiful garden, here is how:
04. Japanese Stroll Garden
In the Edo period, the Daimyo or the feudal lords made these lovely gardens for strolling. They are known as Daimyo gardens or Japanese stroll gardens or Kaiyushiki-teien. These gardens soon became an integral part of the Japanese landscaping. There are circular roads around the gardens where strollers must walk clockwise. These gardens also have a historical standpoint. It represents the calm of the countryside with its gentle slopes, simple stone settings, and softly curving shorelines.
This type of Japanese garden aims to recreate historical and mythical events, both from China and Japan and to showcase the wealth and intellect of the garden’s owner. With a path circling it, the stroll garden has Japanese garden water features like a tiny central lake and pond. Arched bridges allow boats to pass underneath. Japanese stroll gardens often feature a Japanese pond, islands, lanterns, and manmade hills; boulders placed around the Japanese garden plants enhance the beauty of the garden. Also, if you want handy tips for your home garden maintenance or improvement, read our article on:
05. Japanese Courtyard Garden
The Japanese Courtyard Garden (Tsuboniwa) is a favourite among urban people. It is a small garden that houses many elements of other Japanese-designed gardens. They have access to light, fresh air, and nature despite being located in closed areas between buildings. Japanese courtyard gardens are popular among people who want a tiny green space in their home to exercise or meditate. To make your courtyard garden more aesthetic, opt for garden edging to separate meditation spots and plants.
Several traditional Japanese merchants and Samurai built Japanese courtyard gardens on their properties in the past, and the materials they selected were meant to be decorative rather than functional. According to Alvin Horton (author of the book, All about creating Japanese gardens), over time, the components of a courtyard garden have changed. Stone lanterns, stepping stones, Japanese moss and Japanese garden water features are the traditional elements used in Japanese courtyard gardens.
If you are planning to create a meditation spot or an adorable backyard garden, use the elements and design of a Japanese courtyard garden. To learn about some more design options for your backyard garden read:
06. Japanese Paradise Garden
Buddhist monks and devotees of the Amida sect introduced Japanese Paradise Gardens, also called Pure Land Japanese Gardens, during the Heian Period. Japanese Paradise Gardens recreate the image of the Buddha meditating in the middle of a lotus pond. He is seated on a raised platform or an island.
One of the greatest ways to experience Heian period heritage is to visit a pure land Japanese garden, which is serene and calming. A Japanese pond with lotus flowers, an arch-shaped bridge, islands, trees, and a big Buddha pavilion that recalls a Buddhist paradise are the main features of this sort of garden. When designing a garden, it is important to consider pests that will spoil and plunder your garden, so check out our article on:
07. Japanese Study Garden
The Japanese study garden (Shoinzukuri Teien) is much like a painting. It is to be admired, rather than merely walked around. Even now, Japanese gardens of this kind are popular. The most typical design for a Japanese study garden has a pond surrounded by Japanese garden elements like bridges, lanterns, pagodas, and statues. On one side of the pond, bridges are sometimes built, and on the slope of the garden, little shrubs and stone settings are placed in various places.
Pagodas, a common design feature from the Edo period, are situated on hills covered in bushes and standing beneath trees. The statue of Buddha may sometimes serve as a décor element.
08. Hill and Pond Garden
Japan has man-made hills known as Tsukiyama. It is a traditional type of Japanese garden that embodies a miniature of natural scenery. It is normally a little larger than the dry landscape garden and Japanese tea garden. Hill and pond gardens have hills, ponds, streams, stones, bridges, flowers, fish, Japanese moss, plants, and long, curving paths.
Since traditional Japanese gardens are among the oldest, tourists commonly visit them. In the spring and fall, you may see many cherry blossoms and stunning red maple leaves in the hill and pond gardens.
Japanese garden water features play a significant part in their garden designs. Adding these features, such as garden fountains and water basins to your home garden would enhance the aesthetic aspect of your home.
Here’s a video to sum up all the points mentioned above:
Finally, to conclude
Each type of Japanese garden has a distinct design and function, with the overall goal of creating a calm and meditative atmosphere. Likewise, the elements of a Japanese garden are chosen and arranged carefully to produce an appealing and harmonious design. In Chandigarh and Pune, India, there are landscapes inspired by the Japanese garden.
Spending time in such a blissful set up can soothe and relax any individual. In summary, creating one’s own garden and adding some of the Japanese garden’s design elements can create a therapeutic ambience in one’s own backyard garden. This allows one to get away from the burdens and stress of everyday life.
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