Views of Japan

Ponds in Japanese gardens.

Second to the importance of stones in the Japanese garden is a stream, pond or waterfall. Water is abundant in Japan with it’s very mountainous terrain and the inclusion of a waterfall or pond represents in miniature the swift rivers, lakes and falls of Japan. In the  Heian period (794-1185) spacious gardens with ponds based on Chinese ideals were built by the aristocracy. Members of the noble class used to drift leisurely along on these huge ponds in dragon boats, admiring the views. 

Islands placed in ponds, sometimes nothing more than a series of small stones, reflect the country’s archipelago scattered across the sea. 

Ponds in Japanese gardens are nearly always irregular in shape and depth which creates a natural look, but there are also certain shapes that add a layer of symbolism based on the Buddhist and Shintō religions. One such popular shape is that of a gourd while another is that in the shape of a cloud. There are also shapes that evoke the kanji for certain words such as 水 (water) and 霊 (spirit). The shoreline of such ponds is usually low with sparse plantings and pebbled edges. Reeds such as Equisetum hyemale (tokusa) are often planted in such ponds between the stones.

The edges of ponds are planted with aquatic plants such as Lysichiton camtschatcesis (mizu bashō), or Acorus gramineus (sekishō). Sekishō is probably one of the most common across Japan found around ponds. A native grass, it tolerates being submerged in water and grows naturally in wet places along rocky mountain streams.

Other popular aquatic plants are the Japanese irises: Iris ensata (hana shōbu) being the main one. The religiously important lotus, Nelumbo nucifera (hasu) are planted in shallow ponds and are often found in old castle moats and wells today. They are also popularly found in ponds and large clay pots in Buddhist temples.

Aquatic plants aren’t allowed to cover an entire pond, no matter how big or small, as the idea of a pond is to reflect the colours of the plantings at it’s edge, the stone placements, and the sky. Ponds are also placed close by buildings and religious structures to offer a clear reflection of the architecture. Often a stone lantern is placed at the edge of a pond and positioned so that it’s reflection is easily seen from an advantageous viewing position, either from a seat or the end of a pathway. A stone lantern placed at the edge of a pond also serves a double duty as it can provide light at night that reflects and dances across the water adding interest.

Larger ponds tend to have a pebbled shore with sparse plantings and in some Buddhist temples a ford of large pebbles is left to divide a pond at a narrow section, referring to Ama no hashidate - the Bridge to Heaven.

As in the rest of the garden, the placement of stones around a pond is extremely important and follows some well established rules. Smooth round stones are used to portray a slow flowing area, emphasising erosion. Sharp craggy rocks are placed usually at the start of a waterfall or in an area that portrays a jagged shoreline, emphasising wild, wind swept cliffs etc.

In 2010 I had the pleasure of driving to Kyõto to visit the famous Temple of the Golden Pavilion which exhibits a wonderful example of a paradise garden. Paradise gardens became popular in the Heian period (794-1185) with the introduction of Chinese Pure Land Buddhism (Jōdo bukkyō). This is one of my favourite gardens in Japan, and although the golden pavilion itself is now a Zen temple, (when Yoshimitsu died, the building was converted into a Zen temple by his son according to his wishes) the garden still retains its original paradise garden layout and design. 

The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, Kinkaku-ji, was built in 1397 by the Ashikaga shõgun Yoshimitsu (1358-1408) himself a celebrated traditional garden designer. It was modelled on the Sheri-den at Saihoji (no longer extant). The site of Kinkaku-ji was originally a villa called Kitayama-dai, belonging to a powerful statesman, Saionji Kintsune. Set in an impressive strolling garden (kaiyū-shiki-teien) the grounds were built according to the Buddhist ideals of the Western Paradise of Amitābha Buddha, representing a harmony between heaven and earth. Such a paradise is not merely a concept, but believed to be an actual heavenly realm, a physical reality to believers in the Pure Land Buddhist faith.

Giving Buddhist believers a taste of the bliss that awaited them in the next world, paradise gardens contained pavilions standing among lotus ponds with specially contrived islands and promontories. In such a place it was believed the immortals passed their time in boats drifting among the blossoms to the accompaniment of beautiful music.

The pavilion is situated on a grand mirror pond (Kyōko-chi) which was originally connected to ancillary buildings by long roofed corridors. The pond has stone arrangements representing the nine mountains and eight seas of Chinese Buddhist/Taoist myth, with a small fishing deck (tsuri-dono) attached to the rear of the pavilion originally used for recreational boating.

The three-storey pavilion, mirrored in the large pond, now stands on the shore due to silting up over the centuries. During the Onin war (1467-1477) all of the ancillary buildings in the complex aside from the pavilion were burned down. Early in the morning on July 2nd 1950 the entire pavilion complex was burned to the ground by a 22-year-old monk, Hayashi Yoken, who then attempted suicide on the Daimon-ji hill behind the building. The replica of the pavilion that stands today was constructed in 1955 based on photographs and detailed plans.

The interesting feature to me is that from the pavilion the pond appears to be larger than it really is. This is achieved by some rather clever techniques. When a feeling of spaciousness and distance is sought, ponds are wider near the viewpoint and narrower further away. The presence of islands and land jutting out into the pond from the sides creates layers in a garden that increase its spaciousness. 

As well as elements getting smaller as they recede into the distance, they can also get bigger giving the effect of foreshortening distance. At Kinkaku-ji the grouping of small pines on an island are perceived as full-sized which exaggerates the width of the pond. Likewise, the view from the verandah has an important effect on the judgement of distance. As one looks out from the verandah across the pond, the ground immediately in front and below the verandah is cut off from view. This gives the effect that the pavilion is floating on the pond itself.

The pond is divided into two parts, with the inner part filled with many little rocks and islands providing interest, and the outer part is left empty which is only vaguely perceived in the distance. The division of the two parts is created by a peninsula jutting out from the shore together with a long island planted with pines that are pruned into shaped to provide scale. The shoreline is formed from groupings of fine stones that were similarly chosen for scale. Beyond the island in the outer part of the pond are a number of scattered islands purposely designed to be small to create an illusion of distance from the pavilion.

Most of the islands in the pond are turtle islands. Turtle islands are low in profile with smaller rocks placed to represent legs. One turtle island is partnered with a crane island. The crane island was constructed merely from a group of medium-height rocks with flat tops rather than the usual vertical rock placement of other gardens and ponds. There are four stones that form an almost straight line in the pond quite near the pavilion which represent boats bound for the Isle of Eternal Life in Chinese Buddhist/Taoist mythology.

On the hillside to one side of the pavilion is a Dragon Gate cascade with the famous carp stone at its base which was constructed in the 13th century. As the tale goes, the stone is beginning its ascent to dragonhood.

The use of stone in the Japanese garden (part one).

The veneration of stones in Japan can be traced back to neolithic times, and so it comes as no real surprise that the single most important element in a Japanese garden is stone. Stones used in gardens are chosen based upon their religious significance as well as their natural beauty. 

Colour, grain, shape, texture, and size are all extremely important in the placement of stones in a Japanese garden. Stones weathered by the elements, scarred by volcanic activity, or polished smooth by centuries of water evoke images of nature. 

There are many classifications of stone shapes and specific placements in a Japanese garden each with their own use. The most common is that of the tall standing stone. A single imposing standing stone can give a garden a sense of dignity, especially when standing alone in gravel or with sparse plantings.

Being a series of volcanic islands, stones in Japan are primarily volcanic: andesite, granite, chlorite, basalt, and limestone are commonly used in Japanese gardens. Granite in particular is a favourite for stone walls, garden edging, stepping stones, tsukubai (stone water basins), statues, and stone lanterns.

Japanese gardens create a sense of nature in miniature, balanced and harmonious. Stones tie the gardens to nature, giving the impression of mountains and cliffs surrounded by trees or of rivers and streams meandering through valleys.

The shapes of the stones are placed with great care to ensure that the eye is drawn in a particular direction. Leaning to one side, or standing upwards towards the sky, stones placed in a Japanese garden create the dynamics of the garden determining the direction in which the eye of the viewer is led through the composition of the garden.

Stepping stones and garden edging are chosen based upon the same principles, being similar in texture and type and blending with each other. Straight hard edges are especially avoided with smooth rounded stones being preferred. These evoke energy and movement as well as elegance and refinement.