Japan Rail Pass Now - Japan Travel Guide

Gardens
Japan boasts many gardens that showcase the creativity and ingenuity of its people. For more than a thousand years, these gardens have
featured styles and designs that continually evolved as the years passed by. Today, a lot of these ancient gardens still survive and welcome
both locals and tourists all year round.
History
Some of the earliest Japanese gardens were built for religious purposes. In many Shinto shrines around the country, the buildings in the
complex typically have gardens right next to them, with streams or ponds nearby. Also, upper classes, such as the rulers, lords, and noble
families, built gardens in their properties for entertainment and recreational reasons.
Adachi Museum of Art Garden
Zen garden of the Tenryu-ji temple
Styles
●
●
●
●
Courtyard gardens – These were common during the Heian Period. Palaces back then had big private, interior courtyards that were
around 10 square metres in area and consisted of a number of plants, a water basin, a stone lantern, and some stepping stones.
Dry rock gardens – These rose to popularity in Japan around the 1300s after Buddhist monk Muso Soseki built them at five Kyoto
monasteries. They consist of gravel or white sand (instead of water), rocks arranged in patterns, and a few small plants and moss.
Hermitage gardens – These were typically built by retired officials and samurai who wanted to focus on meditation or a simple life. They
were usually found deep in the woods and were home to various plants and a small pond.
Paradise gardens – These were created to depict the Pure Land or Paradise scene in which the Buddha was seen seated on a platform
surrounded by a lotus pond. They feature a small island, which has the Buddha hall, in the middle of a lake, with a bridge that links it
to the shore.
192 - Japan Travel Guide