Japanese gardens are a style of Japanese garden, a type of garden created in Japan. The word “Japanese” is often used as a generic term for gardens created in Japan, regardless of the exact design, landscape, or style of garden. Most traditional Japanese gardens have an area of water, and are constructed to be visited from the outside.
History
Japanese gardens are most closely related to Japanese tea ceremonies. The design principles and structure of the Japanese garden were developed and refined over hundreds of years of Chinese and Japanese history. From the 12th century, Japanese gardeners and architects, influenced by Zen Buddhism, took the Chinese design of the five elements—earth, water, fire, wind, and wood—and applied them to create gardens that emphasized harmony between man and nature.
In the middle of the 14th century, the poet and artist Torii Somenosuke, who studied Zen in China, brought the principles of Chinese landscape design to Japan. He is generally credited with inventing the traditional Japanese garden. Torii created a garden with a pond, graveled paths, and rocks and boulders in a style he called Shikkei ( “imitation of nature”). He is also credited with the development of a Japanese architectural style called Shinden-zukuri.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, garden design became more sophisticated and formal, influenced by Zen Buddhist ideas of the “interpenetration of all things”. The garden became a symbol of harmony between the human and natural world, as well as a display of skill and culture.
Since the 17th century, the gardens of Japan have reflected the values and aesthetics of the Japanese people. During the Edo period (1603–1868), gardens were created by the shizoku class (merchant and craft guilds), who lived in the countryside. This class was traditionally considered to be the lowest of the four classes, and the people in this class were not permitted to wear swords.
The gardens of the nobility, samurai, and the kuge (government officials) were built in the mid to late Edo period (1603–1868). Many of these gardens were designed by landscape artists, whose works were influenced by Chinese painting. Some of these gardens were used as places of entertainment, and as “public gardens” for the lower classes. In the late 19th century, Western visitors and Western-educated Japanese began to create gardens.