Landscape art of Japan briefly. Garden plants and trees. The main colors of the Japanese garden
Styles of Japanese gardens
The modern approach to the classification of Japanese gardens is based not only on the search for differences in the structural concept of the garden, but also on the philosophical teachings of comprehending the world of different Buddhist schools.
Jodo Gardens. By the middle of the 10th century, the ideas of Buddhism began to play a dominant role in Japanese garden art. Often the Japanese garden became an illustration of a teaching based on the possibility of gaining the salvation of the soul after physical death in the “pure land” of the Buddha Amida. "Pure land" (or "jodo" - paradise) is located in the western part of the Buddhist universe. There are many beautiful pavilions, spacious ponds with an abundance of blooming lotuses. The souls of those who have been rewarded with the compassion of Buddha Amida dwell among the fragrances of flowers to the sounds of cosmic music. Under the influence of the ideas of Amidaism, one of the first garden styles with a pronounced individuality was formed - the Jodo style, or in a modern interpretation - the style of the natural landscape. The temple, flowing water and large reservoirs with islands are the characteristic features of these gardens.
A striking example of a garden in the Jodo style is the garden that the third shogun of the Ashikaga dynasty, Yoshimitsu, built for himself at the end of his life in the vicinity of Kyoto. The golden pavilion is reflected in the waters of Lake Kyoko (or Mirror Lake), whose islands and groups of stones are arranged to represent the nine mountains and eight seas surrounding the sacred Mount Sumeru.
hilly garden characterized by a fairly large area and consists of five hills, one of which must be in the center.
miniature garden. The appearance of miniature gardens marked the beginning of the manifestation of symbolism in works of garden art. In miniature Japanese gardens, the technique of an artificially created perspective is used: large plants with large leaves are planted in the foreground, large stones are located, in the second and third plans, the elements of the compositions become smaller. This creates the illusion that they are further away than in reality. Miniature gardens are an attempt to show the immensity of the world in a very limited area.
Symbolic garden. Symbolic gardens in Japan appeared at the end of the Heian era as a result of the popularization of the teachings of Zen Buddhism. Despite the fact that the main feature of the culture of this period was an attempt to penetrate the essence of things through feeling, through the experience of beauty, symbolic gardens are extremely laconic. Behind them is often a real natural landscape, and it is precisely its beauty that must be seen in the process of prolonged meditation, subconsciously participating in its creation.
Despite the great love of the Japanese for plants, it was in Japanese gardening that a phenomenon occurred that has no analogues in the garden art of other countries. Gardens appeared in Japan, where plants may not be at all ... The fact is that for Japanese garden the type of plant used is not so important as the symbolism contained in it, the image born from the form, smell, color, historical events associated with it, traditions and rituals. Therefore, plants, along with stones, gravel, architectural elements (pagodas, lanterns, hedges) are only the material that the gardener uses, like an artist with paints, depending on the need, replacing one with another. The higher the skill, the less materials the artist needs to create the desired image, the stronger the impression of the garden and the more spiritual preparation is required from the viewer.
The most striking example of symbolic Japanese gardens is one of the three gardens of Ryoanji Temple (Temple of the Calm Dragon). It is there, with only coarse sand with a longitudinal pattern in the form of furrows, groups of stones and insignificant islands of plants, that the visitor should see flowing water, a tiger with cubs crossing the stream, and a bird resting with its wings folded.
Abstract garden. Thanks to the theory that stone is the highest creation of nature, symbolic, and later abstract Japanese gardens were born. Symbolic and abstract gardens are very close both in appearance and in the way they were created, but it is generally accepted that abstract gardens have no analogue in nature. Therefore, coming to such a garden, the visitor is free to see it the way his imagination wants, based on the time of year, weather, state of mind.
Tea ceremony garden. Tea ceremony gardens, which originated in the 16th century, combine elements of hilly and rocky gardens. The basis of this garden is a path of stone slabs, somewhat raised above ground level. The style of Japanese tea gardens was formed only when the tea ceremony became an integral part of Japanese Buddhist culture. One of the earliest admirers and promoters of this art was the renowned Zen priest Eisai (1141–1215), who made great efforts to spread tea culture in Japan after his return from China in 1191, where he studied the art of tea drinking. At that time, tea was used mainly for medicinal purposes, and Eisai first described its healing and energy properties. In later years, the use of tea became an integral part of Zen rituals as a drink to help strengthen spiritual discipline during the long hours of meditation. The first Japanese tea gardens built in accordance with the ideals of Sado (the Way of Tea ritual) were created during the Momoyama era, that is, during the period when Sen no Rikyu was actively involved in establishing the canons and defining the aesthetic forms of the Way of Tea. It is believed that stone lanterns and stone tsukubai bowls first appear in the gardens in the same period.
During the periods of the Kamakura and Ashikaga shogunates, many monks from Chinese monasteries arrived in Japan to preach their ideas; along with them, the culture of tea also spread widely. Over time, the formal ceremony took on the form of spiritual training.
The purpose of Japanese tea gardens was to emotionally prepare the guest to go through the "Way of Tea", create the mood necessary for a full appreciation of this ceremony, distract from the surrounding reality, show the way to comprehend the truth.
Decoratively, the Japanese tea garden is generally quite different from gardens of other styles. It has much more floral decoration, the selection of plants is carried out in such a way that the garden has four species for four seasons: in winter, snow falls on wax camellia flowers, in spring - delicate sakura flowers and a riot of blooming azaleas, in summer - a purple rain of hanging wisteria flowers, in autumn - crimson maple leaves and nandina berries. the main objective The artistic intention of this garden is to show the beauty of the changing nature.
Dry landscape garden. With the strengthening of Zen influence on garden culture, many of the structural elements of the Japanese garden finally acquired the features of symbolism. For the symbolic image of water, a whole technique was developed, now widely known under the name “dry landscape” (“dry mountains and waters”) - “kare-sansui”. There could be no symmetry in relation to "kare-sansui". It was an allusion more to the naturalness, and not to the artificiality of the landscape.
A dry landscape is always an image of water. A stone thrown into the water leaves on its surface concentric circles diverging into infinity. The rock, washed by the sea, struggles with the onslaught of water, driving it away from itself, also in a circle. The waters of a swift river, woven from invisible and infinitely parallel jets, rush downstream. The waterfall, bursting from the mountains in powerful streams, fills the space with a roar and a roar. A transparent mountain stream winds playfully between the stones, reflecting the glare of the sun. Each of these images gives rise to completely specific pictures in the mind, causing a variety of feelings - from fear to reverence, from charm to tenderness. A dry landscape is such a garden technique that makes a person activate his consciousness and direct it to create specific images.
The dry landscape has two essentially different types. One is called "with water", the other can be translated as "water that was, but left." The first option is absolutely symbolic - water is depicted as parallel furrows on fine gravel or sand, concentric circles around stones. The second option is more refined and artistic. These are waterfalls, riverbeds and streams, where a person subconsciously “completes” a sketch made by an artist, creating visual, tactile and acoustic images in the form of a stream ringing, sun glare on the water, coolness blowing from a waterfall. The material for these compositions are not only stones, pebbles and gravel, but also plants.
The Japanese dry landscape garden is the most striking and illustrative example of the influence of Zen Buddhist culture on gardens. Such gardens were created for meditation, spiritual development, ultimate enlightenment and were not intended to be widely displayed to visitors, unlike Jodo gardens, gardens of pleasure and aesthetic enjoyment. A supporter of Zen Buddhism finds in them the world of the Spirit, a modern person who is not initiated into the secrets of Zen, a crystallization of spiritual energy expressed in an artistic form. In other words, if art can be defined as the material expression of a person's emotional intensity, then a Japanese garden with a dry landscape is art of the highest level.
One of the first "transitional" to the form of "kare-sansui" in essence was the park at the Saihoji temple in Kyoto, the laying of which dates back to the first half of the 14th century. More often it is called Kokadera ("Garden of mosses"). The entire surface of Kokader is covered with a thick carpet of moss. In Saihoji, signs of old Japanese gardens are still preserved - a pond with three large and four small islands, capriciously shaped peninsulas, bridges, paths. But the upper, rocky part of the garden is much closer to "kare-sansui". By the way, this term was first used by Japanese gardeners to refer to a very limited rocky area within the framework of an old-style garden typical of the Heian period. It is believed that the Kokadera garden was founded in 1334 by the master Kokushi Muso, a monk of one of the sects of Zen Buddhism. Stylistically and chronologically, Kokadera is an intermediate stage between the gardens of the Heian era and the philosophical gardens of the Muromachi era.
If you wish, you could trace the growth of the level of abstraction in the field of garden culture, comparing the characteristics of the gardens at the Temple of the Divine Dragon (Tenryuji), at the Gold and Silver Pavilions in Kyoto, at the Temple of Eternal Splendor (Joeiji) in Yamaguchi Prefecture ...
M. Shigemori, a researcher of Japanese garden art, lists about 700 gardens with artificial ponds and 323 gardens in the "kare-sansui" style dating back to that period. But, perhaps, the rock garden at the Temple of the Peaceful Dragon (Ryoanji) in Kyoto has received truly world fame. The Ryoanji garden is the ultimate form of the kare-sansui style. There is no water, no tree, no grass. At one time, the temple and the space surrounding it underwent many changes as a result of fires and reconstructions. The current form of the garden took shape in 1488. There are many theories about who was the author-arranger of the garden. The most plausible is the one that attributes authorship to the famous artist Soami (1455-1525), although recently there have been many doubts about this. Now the garden is a rectangle (23? 9 m), stretching along the house of the abbot of the monastery. You can admire the garden only from the veranda of the house, although, judging by the old engravings, visitors to the garden could once wander around it, which is simply unthinkable today. The surface is covered with fine white gravel, above which rise fifteen moss-covered stones, collected in groups. The gravel is “combed” with a special rake in such a way that parallel strips are formed, stretching from wall to wall, but swirling in circles near the stones. And they are located in such a way that no matter which way the viewer moves along the veranda - to the right or to the left, he can see only 14 stones, and one (depending on the angle of view each time different) always "hides" from view. Researchers of garden art have broken many spears, arguing about what the author of the Ryoanji garden meant by laying the stones in that order. Some were looking for the answer in the mysteries of the "secret geometry", others - in the balance of odd numbers. Someone imagined the panorama of the garden as an archipelago of islands protruding from the sea, and someone - as the tops of a mountain range in a shroud of fog or clouds. Often they also talk about the association with a family of tigers swimming across the sea… Each meditator opens his own picture, his own associations and images arise. Once upon a time, the picture was complemented by the view of distant mountains, showing through the low fence that encloses the temple. Ryoanji Garden thus became a part of a huge whole. But over time, the trees that rose behind the wall closed the long-term perspective, turning the rock garden into a self-sufficient spectacle.
The garden style "kare-sansui" made it possible to express two aesthetic ideals that were actively introduced into the worldview of the people of that time by the followers of Zen Buddhism. This is "yugen" - hidden beauty, full of symbolism, mystery and understatement, and "yuhaku no bi" - the beauty of empty space, because in Zen art "emptiness" always prevails over "fullness".
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Japanese landscape and park art is based on the ability to emphasize natural beauty, guided by aesthetic and philosophical ideas. Craftsmen try to avoid excessive artificial decoration and focus on the ability to highlight the natural landscape. According to the ancient Shinto religion, natural features such as mountains, waterfalls and forests have their own spirit and soul.
Prerequisites for the development of landscape art in Japan
Over the hundreds of years of its existence, landscaping in Japan has evolved into an original art form and has become an important part of the country's culture. The art of the Japanese garden is closely related to architecture and the processing of natural materials, which are an integral part of landscape design. The history of the Japanese tradition of street space decoration dates back to around the 7th century, and the first documents about their design date back to the 10th century.
The remains of ancient stone structures dating back to the 5th century AD have a remote external resemblance to those found in landscape design. Similar antiquities, in the form of flat vertical stones located in a circle, were discovered by archaeologists on the island of Akito and in Hokkaido. However, scientists are inclined to the version that they are used for spiritual rituals, and not for beauty. It would be quite fair to say that for that period the concept of centralized planning of parks and gardens was not so relevant. These stones were objects of worship and a place of prayer for the spirits of nature. But the spiritual foundations were sublimated into artistic forms of meaningful placement of stones in gardens and parks. During the period from the seventh century to the tenth, new cultural and religious aspects were brought in from China and Korea. It was they who played an important role in the development of the gardening art of Japan, became the philosophical basis for the original Japanese vision of space. The arrangement of the stones emphasizes respect for nature and abstract representations of the world derived from religion and philosophy. Designers use natural stones without any artificial processing.
The purpose of Japanese landscape gardening ensembles
The traditional Japanese garden combines elements that have been used over the centuries. All of them reflect the influence of certain periods of history. It is believed that there is no concept of "typical traditional Japanese garden". Only the influence of its atmosphere and the pleasure of visiting can be considered typical. It should be noted that, until recently, the most exceptional examples of landscape art were rarely open to the general public. They were built by the ruling elite to satisfy their personal aesthetic needs. Parks were also laid out at temples in order to create in their surroundings a mood appropriate for worship and contemplation. Shugaku-in is one of the largest gardens in Kyoto. It was designed for the retired emperor so that he could spend his remaining years in peace. The garden of the Silver Pavilion of Ginkaku-ji was created as a resting place for the Ashikaga shogun during the turbulent times of conflict in the capital. They served as a means of achieving the peace and tranquility that the rulers so desperately sought during the periods of strife and conflict that marked much of Japan's history. According to their idea, the gardens were the embodiment of a utopian idea, the realization of paradise on earth. Individual examples of this trend in art have achieved truly the maximum imaginable similarity.
Philosophy of Japanese landscape design
One way or another, the ideas realized on a string of islands on the eastern outskirts of Asia developed under the influence of Zen Buddhism, which was brought from China in the thirteenth century, and were supplemented by the identity of Japan. Appreciating and understanding the traditional Japanese garden is a complex and difficult task. Visual objects and constructions, perceived by the western layman by the difference in shapes, texture and color, are less important for the Asian connoisseur. Invisible philosophical, religious and symbolic meanings come to the fore. Understanding comes from analyzing the origin story and meaning of the key elements present in one form or another in almost every Japanese garden: water, rocks, plants... Park design uses elements such as ponds, streams, waterfalls, islands and hills to create miniature reproductions of natural landscapes.
Symbolism in Japanese landscape design
Since, due to its geographical location, Japan is a group of islands surrounded by seas and oceans, water as a design element is crucial. One of the most popular garden styles is chisen. In such places for relaxation and contemplation, a pond or lake occupies the most significant part. It is based on the concept of the necessity and importance of water not as a substance, but as a symbol of life. In this case, the amount of water is not as important as its presence is necessary. With a shortage of space, the opportunity to contemplate water is realized in a small stone container. In Karesansui style dry gardens, the presence of water as such is optional. In such spaces, the sea symbolizes gray gravel or sand, with a pattern applied to it.
The sea without islands is unthinkable, and the creation of such islands is largely due to the Japanese landscape design concepts borrowed from China. One of the most early styles became "shumisen-shiyo", a utopia or sacred place removed from ordinary human society. In gardens following this tradition, the island of immortal and eternal happiness, called Horaysan or Horayjima, has become an important element. In later interpretations of Buddhism, the sacred island was replaced by a legendary mountain where the Buddha was believed to have lived.
Cranes and turtles, according to Chinese mythology, are symbols of longevity. Often the islands are shaped like these representatives of the fauna, which are the embodiment of favorable circumstances and longevity. Another auspicious symbol is Kibune, a treasure ship that sails the seas. In installations, it is often represented as a group of stones. Such islands, due to their sacred nature, are inaccessible to humans. In addition to sacred ones, parks can have islands connected to the main territory by bridges. Often they are placed tea arbors. In dry gardens, or rock gardens, the islands are represented by rocks of interesting shapes set on the sand. Groups of stones can be located close to the edge of the reservoir or its symbolic image.
The symbol of the trinity of Buddha is represented in ensembles by three vertically arranged stones. The largest stone, which is always in the center, represents the Buddha, while two smaller stones placed side by side represent the bodhisattvas.
The trees and plants used in the garden are closely intertwined with the spiritual and physical life Japanese people. Pine is the main structural tree. Traditionally, it is called "Tokiva" - evergreen. Pine symbolizes longevity and happiness. The black and red pines represent the positive and negative forces in the world. The Japanese black or male pine symbolizes the past, while the red or female pine symbolizes the future.
Bamboo and plum trees are often featured in the composition. The combination of pine, bamboo and plum symbolizes auspicious circumstances. Plum is the embodiment of energy and a symbol of patience, thanks to the ability to bloom early after a harsh winter.
Aesthetics of park ensembles
The unique Japanese aesthetic of traditional gardens stems from Zen Buddhism. The influence of religion from China was carried out in two stages. The first trends of Buddhism in the country date back to the period of the Tang Dynasty, Zen concepts came from the Chinese Song era. Japanese monks returning from China brought the teaching, and with it art objects, which were highly valued by the aristocracy, believers and warriors of that time. The impact on the art and architecture of Japan has been incredibly impressive and lasting.
The aesthetic value of the Japanese style lies in the apparent simplicity, naturalness, and sophistication. Distinguishes the traditional style and the use of suggestive symbols, rather than straightforward solutions. Monastic garden and park ensembles representing the "Zen Way" are famous for the use of asymmetry, with the use of perfect forms and the use of odd elements of compositions.
In order to comprehend the essence of things, all non-essential elements must be discarded. The visual art of that era, expressed in black sumi ink, convinced connoisseurs that a monochrome image allows you to see endless options for shades. This trend carried over into the Japanese aesthetics of gardens, where the predominantly monochromatic green color. Flowers were intended only to emphasize favorably and elevate the value of the main color.
Japanese garden elements
An important concept for the Japanese garden and park ensemble is “simplicity”, which should not be confused with monotony and monotony. The concept is to achieve the maximum effect with minimal means. Tea houses or gazebos are partly hidden behind trees or fences. Stone lanterns are installed next to trees and shrubs so as not to become the main objects of inspection. Colorful accessories are excluded. Natural muted colors are welcome.
Buildings, bridges, fences, paths are designed using natural materials. The garden designer must hide his creative innovations and creative ideas under the guise of nature. A meticulously pruned bonsai should appear like a century-old tree that has grown naturally.
Ponds, fountains, waterfalls and bridges
The pond is one of the main elements in Japanese gardens. To match the natural counterpart, man-made ponds are asymmetric. The coast of reservoirs is usually underlined by stones. The flow of water from a waterfall or stream, rushing to the pond, symbolizes human existence: birth, life and death. Sound and appearance water changes along the way from a stormy and swift stream to the serene silence of a calm surface.
Fountains are sometimes located at the foot of the hills, on its slopes or in the canopy of the forest. Often the use of springs and wells. This is done for both functional use and aesthetic purposes.
The bridge is both a continuation of the paths and a decorative addition. Traditionally, the wooden footbridges remain unfinished. Bridges crossing sand in rock gardens do not carry a functional load. It is a purely decorative device used for spiritual meditation. Stone bridges, made without handrails, emphasize both the decorativeness of the structure and set it in a spiritual mood, removing the barrier between the guest and the environment. Bridges are different forms and styles. The materials used vary. Both processed and unprocessed stones are used, different types wood. When planning several bridges, they try to avoid repetition in order to achieve aesthetic diversity.
Garden plants and trees
Trees and plants add their own unique character to Japanese gardens. If European gardens are distinguished by the colorfulness and variety of trees, shrubs and flowers, then Japanese landscape gardening ensembles are proud of their predominantly green, and often evergreen trees. However, Japanese gardens were not always monochrome. In the classical garden of the 10th-12th centuries, pines were supplemented by cherries, apricots and plums. Ornamental flowering shrubs adorned not only parks, but also courtyards. Invariably, only the arrangement of large-sized and small-sized plants framing the stones. Their purpose is to try to assemble the landscape into a single ensemble, bring smoothness to the landscape and set the basic character of the space. Among deciduous plants, maples are predominantly used. The cover layer is complemented by various mosses, sedges and forest flowers. Plants are designed to emphasize the transience of time and the invariance of the alternation of the seasons. Flowering annuals are not held in high esteem. Rapid and variegated flowering interferes with concentration. The use of flower beds, lawns and flower beds is excluded. Tree trunks and stumps look advantageous.
Garden paths and paths
The paths, like many other elements of the Japanese garden, are rooted in the traditions of the tea ceremony. They have become a characteristic feature of various landscapes. Initially, stone paths served as an alternative way to pass moss-covered areas. Flat steps served not only to preserve the grass, but also to facilitate the visitor's orientation when moving to a particular visual object.
The stones are arranged at variable intervals, making up non-repetitive patterns. The designer carefully places the stones, paying particular attention to shape, color and size. Stone steps are located near the veranda, the entrance to the house, or to the tea room. It is planned that the guest take off his shoes and leave his shoes on the step in front of the entrance. The opposition of natural and artificial stones in a natural environment emphasizes the image.
Fences and walls
Three types of fences are used in Japanese traditional gardens: a low, short fence from the house to the garden, an internal fence, and an external fence. The outer fence is the first structure that meets when approaching the garden. It is usually realized from thick densely assembled branches, being a kind of protective wall. However, the appearance depends on the type of garden it surrounds. For example, a landscaped garden fence is not made massive in order to maintain the illusion of a vast area.
Bamboo fences are often used. They can be of various textures and patterns, being the backdrop for a profitable supply of plants and flowers. Internal fences, as a rule, are not solid, they serve as partitions. With their help, the lightness and naturalness of the space is emphasized.
Japanese aesthetics are very special. She is alien to luxury and intricacy, redundancy of objects. Japanese beauty lies in a calm balance, harmony of shapes, lines, shades and sounds.
The Japanese landscape is not just a picturesque picture, but a way of understanding the world, which is based on a very respectful, poetic attitude towards nature.
Garden design in Japan, of course, is also the result of the work of masters, but, above all, it is a product of intellectual labor. The Japanese gardener will not "reshape" the terrain and remake the landscape, trying to adapt the area to his own whim. He is a student of Nature and, creating a landscape, follows its laws.
Even the tiniest Japanese garden is a replica of the surrounding nature, a philosophical interpretation of the environment that is typical for a particular area. There is nothing random in it, not a single meaningless detail: each stone, lantern or stump is a symbol of a certain concept and is “responsible” for good luck, health, material well-being.
Advantages and features of the Japanese garden
What captivates the Japanese landscape of Europeans?
Mysterious thoughtfulness, clarity of lines, smooth flow of shade into shade ... But he also has other interesting qualities.
The Japanese garden contributes to the formation of a reasonable, unflappable attitude to life; it pacifies, develops a sense of taste.
The Japanese garden is a great stress reliever. And also, since it is dominated by feng shui, the doctrine of the circulation of energies, it is also a place of power, physical recovery.
Finally, such a garden is a perfect model for a plot of any size, even a very small one. It will also fit perfectly into irregularly shaped areas - too narrow, located on a slope, with stony, hummocky soil.
However, to realize the Japanese dream is not so easy.
What is required for this?
- First, to have a truly refined taste.
Secondly, a fairly extensive knowledge of Japanese culture. Moreover, it is necessary to share the worldview, which will become the conceptual basis for your garden. In particular, remember that absolutely all objects must be full of meaning and be where they are prescribed by Feng Shui.
The unshakable rules that should be followed when setting up a Japanese garden include:
- multidimensionality. The garden is created, first of all, for contemplation, therefore, at each turn of the path, from each elevation, a new perspective should open. To achieve this, level differences, bridges, and hills are widely used.
- Lack of symmetry. Nature does without a ruler and compass, and the Japanese garden, we recall, repeats nature in everything.
- The main elements in the Japanese worldview are plants, water and stones. This is, if you like, the "holy trinity" of the Japanese garden.
- There are traditionally a lot of stones. They are located in groups, forming local rock gardens, paths are laid out of them, dry streams are made.
- An important nuance is the use of local materials. No need to bring picturesque stones from afar - they will be alien to your area.
- Water is welcome in any form. It can be a pond, a stream, a fountain.
- Compositionality is another priority of the Japanese landscape. Separate objects should be combined into picturesque groups: a stream, a bridge and a textured pine, for example, or a stone, a bush and a lantern above them.
If you want to decorate the entire backyard in the Japanese manner, then first break it into parts of an irregular, arbitrary shape. It is desirable that they coincide with the main functional areas.
Then take care of a soft, natural transition from zone to zone: use stones, trees, discreet accessories as conditional boundaries.
However, do not try to recreate Japan among Russian aspens and birches, do not mindlessly copy garden patterns from Kyoto and Okinawa. The main thing is the general principles. And choose plants, stones, flowers from the local area: only such a landscape will look believable, which ultimately corresponds to Japanese philosophy.
The main colors of the Japanese garden
In the Land of the Rising Sun, they believe that a large number of luxuriantly flowering plants of various kinds can unbalance a person, deprive him of peace and thoughtfulness.
A legend has been passed down from generation to generation, according to which a certain shogun, having heard about the beauty of one of the gardens, notified the owner that he would come to visit him for an excursion. When Vladyka at the appointed hour stepped outside the gate of the garden, he did not see a single flowering plant– all flowers were mercilessly cut. The guest got angry... But the owner invited him to the arbor, where a flower flaunted on the table - the only, inimitable. Such a dramatic reception made the shogun's heart tremble with surging feelings.
In other words, a charmingly restrained gamut of the Japanese garden, consisting of their shades and midtones, smooth transitions. The pinnacle of skill is to ensure that a certain corner of the garden is sustained in numerous shades of a single color. Let's say white, yellow or purple.
But gray, mossy green, muted brown and non-dazzling white can be called the base colors for the Japanese landscape.
Metaphysics of trees in a Japanese garden
A classic Japanese site is unthinkable without three, one might say, sacred plants - plum, pine and bamboo. The first symbolizes spring, the triumph of life and is considered the tree of the samurai.
The tradition of admiring plum blossom branches (hanami) is no less strong than in the case of sakura.
Pine represents courage, fortitude and longevity; a crooked, wind-worn pine tree is one of the most recognizable emblems of the Land of the Rising Sun.
And bamboo is associated with flexibility, strength, the ability to overcome any circumstances.
Deep symbolism, however, was formed later. And the first Japanese gardeners simply used those trees and shrubs that grew nearby. At the same time, mountain plants were planted in areas where there were a lot of stones, and estates located in the lowlands were decorated with valley plants. This means that it is not at all necessary to buy Japanese seedlings and seeds; familiar, local flora is quite suitable for the garden.
Bamboo, for example, can be replaced with willow, fargesia, saz, high Sakhalin mountaineer.
Siberian cedar from Russian boron will cope with the role of white and black Japanese pine, and native cherries will bloom and smell no worse than Japanese ume plums.
When choosing plants, remember: your task is not to make the garden shimmer with colors from the first days of spring until late autumn. And that bright flashes of flowering alternate with long phases of rest.
Cherries, smooth elms, oaks and especially maples also look very Japanese - the pattern of their leaves, the rich autumn palette fully meets the Japanese ideals of beauty and harmony.
Bushes, herbs and flowers
When choosing shrubs, you should consider the architecture of each plant, the texture and shades of its leaves. Most often, landscape designers recommend barberry, cotoneaster and hawthorn. Thanks to the berries and the shade of the foliage, these crops are quite effective, and also keep their shape for a long time after shearing.
It will not be possible to do without a periodic haircut: tradition requires that there be spherical plants in the garden. It is given not only to cotoneaster, barberry, boxwood, but even to low elms, thujas, dwarf yews, rhododendrons. These and other trimmed plants often form hedges.
To create green walls and carpets, different types of spirea, action, as well as herbs - lightning, feather grass, miscanthus are used. Mosses, ornamental sedges and grasses are widely used.
Arrange several miniature monogardens. They can be formed from hostas, ferns, that is, plants of the same type, supplemented with stones. This artistic method is fully consistent with the spirit of the Japanese garden.
Flowers in the Eastern worldview are as ambiguous as trees. Everyone knows, for example, that the chrysanthemum is the same symbol of Japan as a sakura branch or a silhouette of a pine tree. In high esteem and daylilies, irises, bulbous.
Plant chrysanthemum shungiku. This is a special, edible type of flower, very popular in the East. From the leaves of such a chrysanthemum, the Japanese prepare many dishes, assuring that they have healing properties.
Appropriate in the Japanese garden are peonies that signify love, a symbol of modesty amarylis, as well as white roses - a sign of nobility. However, flowers should be in moderation and it is better to arrange them not in common flower beds, but in separate lawns.
Stones and more stones...
Their significance for the Japanese garden is enormous.
Stones, firstly, lay out a recreation area - a patio. As well as the main path that goes deep into the garden. For it, large slabs with uneven edges are chosen, and smaller samples cover secondary paths and boundaries between zones.
Secondly, stones are needed for a dry landscape, in other words, for. The fact is that in the old days the Japanese believed: the gods live among the scattered blocks and boulders. Since then, rocky landscapes have been a place where monks meditate.
At the heart of the rock garden is a heptagon of lines, at the intersection of which large fragments of limestone, granite, and quartz are installed. The space between them is covered with pebbles, on the surface of which waves are drawn.
Stones are selected, taking into account both the shape and color. Gray, bluish are identified with the element of water, greenish with vegetation, and stones of outlandish forms symbolize animals in the garden.
The stone garden should be located in such a way that the sun does not blind the eyes of those who will admire it.
The more varied the shape of the fragments, the better. In this case, there must be a lying, horizontally elongated stone; curved; flat; low-vertical and stone statue. Without the latter, the Japanese say, a garden is not a garden.
Diversity of reservoirs
There must also be a tsukubai bowl made of stone, a low tub that was once used as a washstand. Tsukubai today is part of the decor, as well as a reminder that water is the eternal, philosophical companion of stone.
If the area and opportunities allow, you can dig a pond, a characteristic detail for the estates of Japanese aristocrats. Often in the middle of such a reservoir, an island is poured (a symbol of the habitat of souls, that is, immortality), connecting it to the shore using wooden flooring or stones (stone slabs).
Almost always in the Japanese landscape there is a waterfall. The jets rush down from a rock fragment into a narrow channel formed by smaller stones. Splashing and murmuring is considered one of the best music in Japan, and flying water adds dynamics to the landscape.
You can organize traditional Japanese reservoirs at no extra cost by resorting to modern means. Tsukubai bowls, for example, today are made of polyvinyl chloride, painted to look like an old, mossy stone.
Small architectural forms and lighting
If you intend to follow the canons of Japanese landscape art in everything, then you cannot do without a tea house. Moreover, the first Japanese gardens arose around such houses as an addition to the traditional tea ceremony.
Actually, today a tea pavilion can be an ordinary wooden gazebo in the shape of a pagoda or a cube, painted in red, brown, white.
Another important attribute is the zigzag yatsuhashi bridge. Its elongated, serpentine silhouette symbolizes sinuosity. life path, the road that a person passes in search of truth.
Bridges can be arched, reminiscent of a rainbow shape, imitate ships, be made of wood and stone, extend not only over water bodies, but also over dry streams.
At the pond, waterfall, in the rock garden, do not forget to install benches - straight, ascetic in shape, consisting of stone supports and flat wooden seats.
Stone lanterns are a tribute to tradition, which should not be abandoned. Such lamps come in a variety of shapes, as well as heights - from squat, resembling rounded stones, to tall pillars.
There are also hanging lanterns, lamps made of bronze, in the form of pagodas, carved squares, cylinders, polygons… Some of them shine upwards, others are invented to illuminate the earth…
If you arrange these devices correctly - along the paths, along the perimeter of the patio, at the edge of the pond, near the gazebo - the site will receive the optimal dose of natural light: dim, but a little mysterious, like the whole garden.
The Land of the Rising Sun is famous for its distinctive culture and traditions. Here, each item has its own philosophical meaning and centuries of history.
The main word that characterizes the culture of Japan is harmony. She reigns in everything. The unity of man with nature creates an atmosphere of calm, tunes in to thoughts about the eternal. Therefore, the Japanese style has become quite popular with us.
How to create on your site the original atmosphere of the country of philosophers and samurai?
Planning principle
The main accents in the formation of the Japanese garden: asymmetry in the arrangement of elements, smooth lines, the predominance of green, red, yellow, orange, purple hues, simplicity of design techniques.
Visually, this garden is divided into two zones. In one zone, the main one, decorative elements, stones are installed, plants are planted. The second zone, in contrast to the first, remains deserted.
In addition, in the main zone, the "visual distance" method is used to effectively reveal the landscape:
- large plants are planted in the foreground or volumetric stones are installed
- in the background - medium-sized
- on the third - the smallest
Then, while walking through the territory of the garden, with each step you will discover new elements of the landscape. Everything resembles the untouched bewitching naturalness of nature.
Philosophy and symbols of the garden
"There can be a garden without flowers, but there cannot be a garden without stones." So said the Japanese sages.
The Japanese garden is different from our usual garden plantings and combines three main components - water, stone and vegetation, which are in harmony with each other. The harmony of the elements is especially important here.
There are few or no plants. And the main elements, the basis of the garden, are stones skillfully installed on the territory.
Equally important in the design of the landscape is water - the "blood" of the garden. A waterfall, stream, spring or pond are must-haves for your Japanese corner.
rock garden
The stone symbolizes stamina and strength, and assembled into a composition, they symbolize the infinite and unknowable Universe. That is why the stones are laid out so that no matter where you are in the territory, you would not see all the stones at the same time.
We start laying out the composition of stones (necessarily an odd number) from the left corner of the site diagonally. Try to use stones in a single color scheme or groups of different colors, without any processing, as they are in nature. Overgrown with moss, boulders will look even more natural. Compositions of large and small stones are also possible. Nearby we plant plants with foliage of an attractive color or unusual shape.
Smooth winding paths paved with stone are exactly what makes a Japanese garden calm, balanced and fills the atmosphere with harmony. A path of smooth flat stones symbolizes a journey through life without barriers and problems. What will the path in your garden look like?
Using river pebbles, sand, or pea gravel (all of which traditionally represent water), you can create a "dry stream" or a small waterfall.
Sandstone and natural shales are also used to decorate the garden.
Plants for the Japanese garden
Each of the plants carries a philosophical meaning:
- pine - a symbol of long life, courage, strong character, longevity
- weeping willow - modesty and obedience
- the plum tree represents the beauty of the soul
- maple - a symbol of wisdom, knowledge
- bamboo - assertiveness, fortitude, striving forward
- bindweed - poetry of life
- moss, lichen - personify maternal kindness and love, protection and reliability
Therefore, when choosing plants for your garden, consider this aspect.
An extraordinary decoration of your garden can be nivaki, plants grown in a special way with a beautiful extravagant crown. They are also called "garden bonsai" for their strong resemblance to these plants. The main principle in the landscaping of the territory is the "wave principle": the plants are selected in such a way that at any time of the year one can admire something.
Shrubs and undersized trees, such as rhododendron, juniper, Karelian birch, dwarf spruce, are combined with tall ones - oak, pine, elm. Fruit trees (cherry, apricot) may well replace Japanese sakura and will also delight you during flowering.
From herbaceous plants, you should choose large-leaved species, such as hosta, ferns, chrysanthemums, rogersia.
Bamboo and baobab are thermophilic and may not take root in our area. Black alder "Imperialis" or Sakhalin buckwheat can serve as an alternative to bamboo.
If the territory of your garden is in the shade, plants such as rhododendrons, Japanese primrose, three-parted multi-row, light spinach are suitable. On the sunny side are good: Japanese spirea, dwarf Weymouth pine, Ginnala riverine maple. A bright periwinkle or Siebold's hoof will also be appropriate in your flower bed.
Water
Water is a symbol of vital energy, purification, prosperity, positive energy. A Japanese-style garden is inconceivable without a water feature. This is a waterfall (symbolizes the beginning human life), a stream (streams of water - the river of our life), a fountain, a small pond. Moisture-loving plants can be planted along the banks of your pond.
An alternative would be a "dry stream" or "dry pond", as well as wavy lines drawn on sand or fine gravel.
An indispensable interesting element in your garden will be tsukubai - a stone bowl for washing your face and washing your hands (symbolizes purity and purity). Water from the tsukubai is collected with a bamboo ladle. Usually tsukubai are located near the house or at the entrance to the garden.
The space around the tsukubai is filled with a "sea" - black pebbles. Tsukubai can be combined with the Oribs lantern (no other lanterns are suitable for this role). Such a duet will perfectly emphasize the style of your garden and fill it with the melody of babbling water.
One can talk endlessly about Japanese culture, it is so interesting and bewitching. And you can't go wrong if you decide to decorate your garden in Japanese style. After all, it is here that you will feel on the same wavelength with nature, which is so important in our modern dynamic pace of life.
Relief
Depending on the characteristics of the site, you can create a garden in flat and mountainous terrain.
Reanlsey Garden- an example of a planar composition. For this design, you will need sand, small stones and moss. On the sand, draw transverse stripes-waves with a rake - they will symbolize the water area, a "dry pond". Arrange randomly moss and stones.
For hilly terrain, sand, pebbles and large structural stones are useful. Place a large elongated stone vertically - this is your mountain peak. Make the slopes of your hill out of flat cobblestones.
Bridge in Japan - a symbol of the life path, so it is made from valuable tree species. For a harmonious combination, lay out a stone path to your bridge. You can also lay out stones on both sides of the bridge or plant a flower bed. Sitting on the bridge with a cup of tea, you can think about the main values of life.
I had a long pause in the Study... Other things dragged my mind aside. Not enough centrism, yes...
As my kind, mischievous and ... lighter than a swan feather, Friend Pooh, correctly noted, a garden without an owner is covered with dust. Where is my liquid for giving shine to products from ...?:))) Well, in general :) I'm moving further in the study.
I really liked the series of articles by the author Fomina A.I. in the Study of the Japanese Garden. Articles are noted by me for the fact that their authorship is felt ... living what is described is done (she is a practicing designer).
I'm posting her article with minor adjustments and cuts, as well as adding interesting points and photos.
"Creating a garden means revealing the nature of Nature, completing the work of the Creator."
wang wei,
Chinese artist (1699-1759)
(... the word "finished" here I would replace the word "embodied")
The landscape art of Japan, more than any other, expresses the peculiar ideological attitude of the Japanese nation to nature. Time passed, eras changed. But this special attitude to the natural world did not change in Japan. And during adversity and social upheaval, nature and Japanese gardens remained, perhaps, one of the few places where a person felt calm and comfortable.
Nature in Japan has always been an object of art, not a backdrop for it (as in the West).
landscape style of japanese garden
Thoroughly - as a phenomenon - the Japanese garden was formed in the X-XII centuries.
In the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, the gardening art of Japan reaches its highest peak.
Landscape has become the main style of the Japanese garden. Borrowed from China, it was brought to filigree perfection by the Japanese on the basis of national traditions and original culture.
For centuries, Japanese garden masters have used the same ingredients: stones, pebbles, sand, water, pine, bamboo, moss, etc. The components of the garden were still the same, but they were used in different eras which have their own cultural, religious, philosophical and aesthetic features.
The style of the Japanese garden, while remaining landscape, continued its development, evolved. New varieties of Japanese landscape style gardens were born, with the characteristic features of a particular era.
The style of the Japanese garden was shaped by the very nature of Japan: islands washed by great waters, beautiful mountains, rivers, unique vegetable world.
Depending on the functional purpose and available area, a Japanese garden can be as large as a park. But it can also be miniature - with an area of only 1-2 square meters.
Gardens at the Imperial Palaces
Gardens at the imperial palaces - the very first gardens, created under the influence of the garden art of China and Korea. They came to Japan in the 6th-7th centuries, and have not survived to our time due to internecine wars, fires, and natural disasters.
These gardens necessarily had an artificial lake and an island connected by a bridge to the shore.
The court nobility, led by the imperial family, spent time in the garden with obligatory boating, with walks along the shores of the lake.
Of course, in the image and likeness of these gardens, aristocrats began to create gardens in their estates.
Borrowed from outside, gardening art on Japanese soil very quickly began to merge with local beliefs, with the peculiar attitude of the Japanese towards nature and a peculiar way of life, different from other countries. This interpenetration soon revealed to the world a completely the new kind art - the art of Japanese gardens.
This is how Japanese palace and manor gardens appear.
In Japan, the 9th-12th centuries are the time of the high flowering of poetry, music, and garden art. The garden becomes an integral part of the culture of the nation with its clear aesthetic orientation.
The art of Japan during the Heian period, including gardening, acquires a national sound, captivating with its original originality.
Palace and manor gardens of that time had a dual purpose. They were secular: the nobility rested, had fun and celebrated in them. But this was the time of the cult of Buddha Amida. And the gardens of this period, although basically secular, have always been imbued with the spirit of a religious and philosophical attitude to nature.
It was a period of formation the first purely Japanese style of gardens - Jodo style, or natural landscape (Jodo - "paradise, pure land, perfection").
The essential components of Jodo style gardens were:
- temple;
- a lake with a rugged coastline;
- islands in the lake, symbolizing mountains (including the sacred mountain Sumeru - the center of the Buddhist universe, or Mount Horai - the abode of the immortals).
The landscape created in the garden had to be a copy of some specific natural landscape.
The development of landscape art in Japan
The end of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th century in Japan is a time of social upheaval and cardinal changes. The coming to power of the samurai class led to changes in all areas of society. These changes did not bypass the landscape art of Japan.
By this time, one of the directions of Buddhism - Zen - was firmly established in Japanese national beliefs, culture and philosophy. Distinctive feature zen was his focus in the first place on a person, not on abstract concepts.
Strengthening the spirit, understanding the laws of the universe, comprehending the truth through self-improvement - these Zen postulates were in tune with the times. They quickly found a deep response among the population due to a very difficult historical period. Everyone sought to find answers to numerous questions born of troubled times. And Zen Buddhism, with its close to Shinto worldview and focus on a specific person, entered the life of the nation, becoming not only a religion, but also a way of life. Zen, due to its flexibility and practicality, fit very well into the ideology of the samurai who came to power.
There is a remarkable quality in Japanese culture: with the advent of the new, not to destroy the old, but, having studied and modified in accordance with one's worldview, to combine this new with the existing achievements. As a result of this approach, new trends and trends appear in art, but with a purely Japanese flavor.
Thus, classical Buddhism, which came to Japan from outside, received a new sound here in the form of a religious and philosophical teaching - Zen Buddhism. Its development on Japanese soil led to the creation of a special type of gardens - temple and monastery.
Temple and monastery Japanese gardens
Born from Zen culture, temple and monastery gardens were different from all previous gardens. They could have no plants at all or the most minimal number of them. But stones, sand and pebbles have become the "protagonists" in the garden.
Thus was born a new type of Japanese garden, which, along with sakura, became calling card Japan - Japanese rock garden.
The rock garden is also called in Japan the symbolic garden, or the philosophical garden. This is one of the most mysterious phenomena for a non-Oriental person. There is no other such garden in any world culture.
The main principle in creating a symbolic garden is to imitate nature and learn from it, create big in small.
Created at temples or monasteries, Japanese gardens were intended for contemplation. The territory of the garden was artificially enclosed by a fence plastered with clay and whitewashed. The fence could be made of bamboo, wood, or in the form of a hedge.
In the fenced-off garden, as in a kind of microcosm, sand, stones, sea pebbles, mosses were placed, arranged according to a carefully thought-out composition symbolizing the Universe.
The art of the rock garden arose from the conditions of life in Japan at that time - as the desire to comprehend the ideas of Zen Buddhism through solitary self-deepening, contemplation, meditation. The rock garden combines symbolism, minimalism and, at the same time, naturalness.
Ryoanji Temple Garden ("Temple of the Pacified Dragon") is the pinnacle of Japanese rock garden art.
Ryoanji is a Buddhist temple in Kyoto belonging to the Rinzai sect. It was built in 1450. It became a refuge for monks who practiced Zen Buddhism. His patrons included Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. From the end of the eighteenth century the temple is in decline. Many of its buildings were destroyed by fires. Now the fame of the temple is supported solely by the Zen Buddhist style rock garden, which is one of the most amazing and famous philosophical gardens. It is believed that the famous master Soami was the author of the Ryoanji garden.
The garden is a small rectangular area (from east to west - 30 m, from south to north - 10 m), covered with white gravel. There are 15 stones on the site, they are organized into five groups. Around each group, like a frame, planted green moss. The gravel is "combed" with a rake into fine grooves, which can be associated with soft ripples of water. The garden is enclosed on three sides by a low adobe fence.
The garden is part of the temple building, so you can approach it only after passing through the temple, and contemplate it only while sitting on the veranda of the temple.
What do the stones in the garden represent? Some believe that these are five great mountain peaks rising to the sky through the clouds, others think that these are five islands in a boundless ocean, it seems to someone that this is a tigress with her cubs swimming across a stormy sea. The associative series is endless. But there are many other mysteries in this garden. One of them is that, no matter from which part of the veranda the viewer looks at the garden, he will always see only 14 stones, each time some stone (each time a different one) will disappear from view. Perhaps, in this way, the Zen Buddhist monk Soami showed people the immensity of the world, the power of the Cosmos, the greatness of the Buddha, making it clear that this illusion symbolizes the unknowability of the world, and only those who have achieved enlightenment are able to see all the stones at once.
Another mystery of the garden is in its hypnotic influence per person. The contemplation of stones makes it possible to concentrate, find a calm state of mind and delve into oneself. After all, this garden was created by a master for the meditation of monks. In the outlines of stones, in the infinity of associations that they give rise to in different time year and under different lighting during the day, each viewer finds his own. Secret and most important to him. The riddles of the Ryoanji garden, like the riddle of the Gioconda's smile, are incomprehensible, eternally mysterious and beautiful.
Abstract japanese garden
The abstract garden is similar to the previous one, but it is believed that abstract gardens have no analogues in nature.
And here a special role belongs to the viewer, who is free to mentally complete the abstract garden, to be its co-author.
The author of this garden is the modern sculptor Kazumasa Ohira. He created his garden from fine gravel, stones and a minimum of vegetation, calling his creation very simply - "Abstract Garden".
The Dry Landscape Garden was designed by the masters of Japanese garden art to symbolize water.
"Dry landscape" is always a symbolic image of water.
Gardens with a dry landscape provide the most striking example of the influence of Zen Buddhism. They were not intended for the general public. Such gardens are interesting not only for their originality and originality, but also for the fact that they can be created in areas of various sizes.
Gardens "Dry landscape" have two types, very different in appearance:
1. "With water".
In such a garden, the "main character" is sand or fine gravel, symbolizing water.
Parallel furrows are carried out here with a special rake. Furrows arranged in circles around the stones are a symbol of the spread of waves after a stone falls into the water, a symbol of the rollback of waves from a rock standing in their way. Furrows with large longitudinal lines are a symbol of the serene running of waves in the expanse of the ocean.
2. "Water that was, but gone."
This type of "Dry Landscape" is interesting to use in our gardens, as it involves a rather large set of elements. These can be originally designed (using sand, pebbles, gravel) waterfalls, turbulent rivers or small streams, accompanied by an appropriate assortment of plants.
"Dry landscape" is a symbol of water, which can successfully replace living water in a garden. And from this, the Japanese-style garden will not only not lose its originality, but will be more "Japanese".
Japanese tea ceremony garden
Zen culture created another wonderful variety of the Japanese garden, the tea ceremony garden. It was new not in form but in function. What was new in this garden was the presence of a special Tsukubai vessel for washing hands.
The garden leading to the entrance to the tea house is an important component in this ceremony, helping the participants to properly tune in to the upcoming action.
The aesthetics of the garden is entirely consistent with the ideals of the Tea Ceremony: simplicity, modesty, discreet charm, spiritual unity of all participants in the ceremony.
Gradually, the tea ceremony becomes an integral part of the culture of Japan - first in Buddhist monasteries as part of a ritual action, and then in the court environment as a sophisticated entertainment; then in the rest of society, in the form of gatherings over a cup of tea.
The tea ceremony garden is characterized by small size, its essential parts are:
- path leading to the Tea House;
- a waiting bench where guests are waiting for an invitation to enter the Tea House;
- a vessel for washing hands;
- stone lantern.
The path was covered with uneven stones, which forced any visitor, regardless of rank, to look at their feet. There were also specially leveled sections of the path, where visitors, stopping, could admire the garden.
The entrance to the tea house was very small, and everyone entering must certainly bend down, and those who have a sword leave it at the threshold. All this symbolized the equality of all the guests who entered the Tea House.
The style of tea gardens in Japan was finally formed in the 16th century, when the tea ceremony became an integral part of Japanese Zen Buddhist culture.
Japanese gardens near a residential building - tsuboniva
The problem of lack of land in Japan has always existed, and since the 19th century it has become the most acute. This led to the creation of small gardens near the residential building.
During the construction of the house, small open areas were left on the inside of the courtyard for airing the premises. And very small gardens were made there - tsuboniva (tsuboniva). They "borrowed" from the arrangement of tea gardens vessels for washing hands, lanterns standing next to them, paths leading to the house, a large stone - a step at the entrance to the house.
The composition of the garden near a residential building is based on the relationship of a lantern, a vessel for water - "tsukubai" of a minimum set of coniferous or deciduous plants, architectural lines of the courtyard and the house.
From the vegetation there could be only one bush of azalea or bamboo, or a tiny tree.
Japanese miniature garden
A miniature garden is an original way to show the immensity of the universe in a very small area. In the art of creating such gardens, the Japanese have no equal in the world!