Asia Images / John Lander Photography

  • Portfolio
  • About
  • Contact
  • Archive
    • All Galleries
    • Search
    • Cart
    • Lightbox
    • Client Area
  • Books
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
x
All Galleries
Download Add to Cart
twitterlinkedinfacebook

Japanese Garden Images 73 images Created 17 Oct 2008

Japanese gardens reveal themselves only detail by detail. When visiting a Japanese garden we ask ourselves what is deliberate, what is accidental? Does it truly offer hidden meaning behind those rocks or ponds? To enjoy the hushed silence of a Japanese garden is to appreciate the aesthetic, which puts value on what is implied not shown. Or if the symbolism gets too much just choose which garden you like the most, relax and enjoy the view.
View: 100 | All

Loading ()...

  • Shomyoji Arched Bridge - Shomyoji was built by Sanetoki Hojo during the Kamakura period, and was made the Hojo family temple of the Kanazawa area. The Jodo style garden with Ajiike Pond in front of the main temple is its most unique feature not to mention the arched bridge. The temple's bell was portrayed in the woodblock print "Shomyo-no-Bansho," one of eight prints depicting views of Kanazawa by Hiroshige Utagawa.
    shomyoji.jpg
  • Enkoji was founded in 1601 by Tokugawa Ieyasu - its mission was to promote learning and scholarship in Japan. As a result, both monks and laymen were allowed as students. Enkoji is well known for its autumn leaves. Out front there is a modern zen garden, though the showcase is the tatami room overlooking the back garden.
    enkoji-garden-2.jpg
  • Kogetsudai moon viewing platform at Ginkakuji - a Zen temple at the foot of Kyoto's Higashiyama Eastern Mountain. The temple was formally known as Tozan Jishoji as a retirement villa for shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa. A few years later, the Silver Pavilion was constructed, modeled after Kinkakuji's Golden Pavilion. Plans to cover the pavilion in silver never happened yet the name Silver Pavilion stuck. The villa was converted into a Zen temple after Yoshimasa's death and is well known for its zen garden.
    ginkakuji-1.jpg
  • Shisendo is a hermitage garden in eastern Kyoto established by Jozen Ishikawa, a scholar and landscape architect. After he retired as a samurai he devoted the rest of his life to learning Chinese classics. When he was 59 he built this masterpiece as a retirement villa which has come to be known as Shisendo.
    shisendo-1.jpg
  • Nezu Shrine Azalea Garden - Nezu Shrine in Tokyo is without a doubt most famous for its unique undulating azalea garden built along hills and trails. It is planted with more than 3000 azaleas of over 100 species.  Next to the Azalea Garden or Tsutsumi Teien, pathways tunnel through hundreds of torii or shrine arches.  Nezu Shrine was established more than 1900 years ago and is one of Tokyo’s most important and historic Shinto shrines.
    nezu-shrine-garden-2.jpg
  • Gyokudo Kawai was a master of Japanese painting who lived in Mitake. As a memorial to his accomplishments Gyokudo Museum was created by Ken Nakajima, the landscape architect. The garden can be viewed from many angles without changing its general look.  A design concept used to create this garden is nesting technique, which has long been utilized in Japanese art.  Natural stones found in the adjacent Tama River were used for the garden's stones. Instead of incorporating the forest woods as background, it directly employs the natural elements in the garden itself.
    gyukodo-5.jpg
  • Issuien Garden in Nara was designed by Horitoku, with a pavilion on the west side of the pond.  The pond in the eastern garden inscribes the Chinese character for water and contains a small island, reached by stepping stones. Its layout is that of a strolling garden with hills and a waterfall.  This is a strolling garden, with paths encircling the garden rolling past a teahouse, rest areas, moving over stepping stones.
    isui-en-2.jpg
  • Teahouse at the pond garden of Shosei-en - Rinchi-tei on the left and Tekisui-ken to its right. Shosei-en Garden was designed as a retreat for the chief priest Sen'nyo.  Shosei-en is also called Kikoku-tei "Orange Mansion" because it was once surrounded by orange groves. The garden is a Chisen Kaiyu Shiki teien, that is, a pond strolling garden with buildings such as tea-ceremony houses arranged throughout the grounds.
    shosei-en-4.jpg
  • Byodo-in is a Buddhist temple in the city of Uji in Kyoto prefecture.  It is a National Treasure and a World Heritage Site and its outline is featured on the ¥10 coin. Built in 998 AD during the Heian period, Byodo-in was originally a private residence like many Japanese temples.  It was converted into a temple by the Fujiwara clan in 1052. The Phoenix Hall, the great statue of Amida inside it, and several other items at Byodoin are Japanese National Treasures. UNESCO listed the garden and building as a World Heritage Site in 1994.
    byodo-in-garden.jpg
  • Tofukuji South Garden, in front of the Hojo is the most contrived work among the four gardens and is composed of rock compositions symbolizing Elysian islands - from the east to the west named "Eiju, Horai, Koryo, and Hojo" - placed on the sand garden floor "Hakkai" meaning the eight seas and five moss covered sacred mountains at the western end.  The garden was designed by renowned landscape architect Mirei Shigemori and considered to be one of his most important and representative works.
    tofukuji-south-6.jpg
  • Korakuen is a landscape garden in Okayama and is considered one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, along with Kenrokuen and Kairakuen. Korakuen was built in 1700 by Ikeda Tsunamasa, lord of Okayama. In 1884, ownership was transferred to Okayama Prefecture and the garden was opened to the public. The garden suffered severe flood damage in 1934 and during World War II bombing in 1945, but has been restored based on paintings and diagrams.
    korakuen-1.jpg
  • Ninomaru garden was designed by the famous landscape architect and tea master Kobori Enshu. It is located within the grounds of Nijo Castle. The garden has a large pond with three islands and features carefully placed stones and pine trees.  Nijo Castle and its garden are a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    ninomaru-1.jpg
  • The Moss Garden at Saihoji Temple is one of the few temples in Kyoto where visitors must request an invitation in advance before their visit. Visitors are required to participate in chanting and writing sutras before visiting the famous gardens. In this way the monks are able to maintain the temple and garden and prevent mass tourism from destroying the tranquility of this UNESCO World Heritage Japanese garden.
    koke-dera-1.jpg
  • Genko-an is famous for its two large windows.  “The Window of Enlightenment" is round, showing the harmony of the universe.  The squared window is called "The Window of Confusion" symbolising humans’ lives of suffering.  Both windows overlook the same garden, though the effect of looking through each window is quite different.  The garden's plants and stones are arranged to create an elegant world of wabi and sabi.  Genko-an Temple was originally built as a hermitage for the head priest of Daitoku-ji Temple, but was later turned into a Zen temple.
    genko-an-1.jpg
  • Gio-ji Temple Garden was originally a Buddhist nunnery.  An enterprising nun Chishoni had been a geisha before taking the vows as a nun. Giyo-ji is a small hermitage now, and its main feature is its moss garden. A small stream crosses through the garden, allowing different types of moss to grow. The garden is surrounded by a path.  On the northern side, there is a bamboo grove nicely integrated in the composition of the garden as a whole.  Giyo-ji is one of the best moss gardens in Kyoto, after the more famous Koke-dera.
    gio-ji-1.jpg
  • Heian Shrine Garden Bridge - the garden was designed by gardener Jihei Ogawa who created the garden over a twenty year period. Species rare in Japan such as Acheilognathus cyanostigma, the Yellow pond turtle and the Japanese pond turtle live in the ponds here.  This strolling landscape garden is representative of Meiji Period garden design.
    heian-shrine-garden-1.jpg
  • Koi Pond at Taizoin - Koi ponds are used as part of a landscape garden with Nishikigoi   ornamental carps. It is said that the design of the koi pond has an effect on the well-being of the carp. Various sophisticated methods are used to protect the carp from predators.
    koi-pond-2.jpg
  • Shoden-ji - the main attraction of the temple is its Karesansui garden  ideally viewed from the deck of the temple’s Hojo.  The garden is said to have been laid out by Kobori Enshu. Its unique dry garden makes use of "borrowed scenery" in which the distant Mt. Hiei serves as one of the garden's main elements and backdrops.
    shodenji-2.jpg
  • Momijiyama Garden is located near the ruins of Sunpu Castle in Shizuoka.  Garden of the Village is made up of various flowers, plants and a wooden pavilion. Garden of the Mountain Village is composed of a hill meant to resemble Mt. Fuji.  Surrounding the hill are azalea bushes arranged to as to look like the terraced tea fields as Shizuoka’s claim to fame are green tea and Mt Fuji.  Next, Garden of the Sea is meant to be viewed between the pines facing the pond its white beach, so as to resemble the famed seashore of Miwa. Stones in the pond and the opposite shore represent the Izu coastline, part of Shizuoka Prefecture known for its seascapes.  Finally the Garden of the Mountain is composed of two small waterfalls meant to symbolize the mountain scenery of Japan.
    momijiyama-17.jpg
  • Suichin Arbor at Happo-en Garden - built in the early seventeenth century in Tokyo. In 1915 Fusanosuke Kuhara took over the garden for his personal retreat.  It is now the site of a popular wedding banquet hall, though the garden has been preserved as a photo op backdrop for wedding couples and is open to the public.
    happo-en-2.jpg
  • Hachijin-no-Niwa Garden at Kishiwada Castle - a very unique karesansui garden  set in the courtyard of Kishiwada-jo and designed to be viewed from the windows of the castle. It is a very modern design of geometric, linear stones punctuated by rocks in a field of pebbles. The garden was designed by Mirei Shigemori, a leading figure in the development of the modern Japanese garden. Eight groups of rocks represent the "Battle Formation of the Eight Positions". Each of these eight groupings has a name: heaven, earth, phoenix, dragon, cloud, serpent, tiger and wind.  The garden challenges our thinking about the usually calm effect of stone gardens. Based on the layout of a mythological battle conducted by Chinese General Zhuge Liang, the stone setting at the center of the design, named Central Camp, is the garden’s focal point.
    kishiwada-garden-4.jpg
  • The Adachi Museum of Art is made up of the private collection of Zenko Adach who collected Japanese paintings, ceramics and scrolls.  He was an aficionado of Japanese gardens and collected each pine tree and  stone for the garden himself from all around Japan.  In this way he created a beautiful garden filled with his own vision. Adachi believed that Japanese gardens were "as beautiful as pictures” and even framed one of the gardens in one of the museums rooms as if it is a painting itself. Adachi Museum Garden has been selected as the best garden in Japan year after year since 2003, by the Journal of Japanese Gardens Shoisai Project.
    adachi-garden-06.jpg
  • Yuushien garden on Daikonshima Island was designed as a strolling garden with ponds, streams, trails and waterfalls. The garden is resplendent year round with a variety of blooms though the garden is famous for its peonies. In the 1950's, sericultural industry was in decline on the small island of Daikonshima, and women on the island had to travel all around Japan selling peony seedlings to make a living. A local, Mr Sakai Kadowaki, opened the garden at Daikonshima so that people would visit the island and the free the locals from constant travel around Japan. The garden was named after Kadowaki’s father.
    yuushien-03.jpg
  • Ishitani Residence Garden - Japanese, gardens are often designed to be viewed from a sitting position. The most celebrated garden at Ishitani Residence is the Chisen Garden, with plants artfully arranged around a pond, the Karesansui Garden, a dry landscape garden that uses no water to represent mountains and streams, and the Shibafu Garden showing the charm of green lawns. The veranda and the gardens are connected and in this way viewers can appreciate living alongside nature by viewing from within the home.
    ishitani-garden-2.jpg
  • Kyu Furukawa Garden was originally the domain of Mutsu Munemitsu. but later became the property of the Furukawa family.  Ogawa Jihei designed the garden renowned for its beauty. The Furukawa garden is regarded as an example of Japanese gardens of the Taisho Period.
    kyu-furukawa-12.jpg
  • Yamanashi Prefecture is famous for its rock crystals and many world-class lapidary experts.  It should not be surprising that a rock garden, for which the Japanese are famous, should be born.  The main difference here is that the stones are not austere white pebbles, but multicolored ones from local crystals.  The Jewel Dream Garden is run by a local jewelry company that sponsors it and the adjacent Jewelry Museum.
    shingen-jewel-garden-7.jpg
  • Bridge at Eiho-ji - a Rinzai Zen Buddhist temple in Tajimi, Gifu established in 1313.  The temple is a monastery known for its pond garden with a fabulous bridge over the pond listed as National Treasure.
    Eiho-ji-3.jpg
  • Korin-in was originally built in 1520 as a family temple.  Korin-in is only open a few weeks per year, during November. The garden represents part of China with mountains as azaleas and rhododendrons, with islands represented as rocks.  The small entrance with the window on the left of the garden is a unique feature of this temple garden.  This style of entrance with window is a classic feature of many famous zen gardens, including Kodai-ji, Ginkaku-ji and Kenin-ji but is not often found elsewhere.
    korin-in-16.jpg
  • Ryugin-an Eastern garden is the "Garden of the Inseparable".  This garden uses purple gravel that is not common for zen gardens, an indicator of the modernity of its design.  Ryugin-an gardens were designed by Shigemori Mirei the renowned landscape architect and garden designer who designed other gardens at Tofukuji, as well as other venues in Kyoto and elsewhere in Japan.
    ryugin-an-4.jpg
  • Nanshuji Temple in Sakai Osaka - The legacy of Sen no Rikyu is honored at Nanshuji Temple where there is a teahouse in the simple, rustic style. Sen no Rikyu, tea ceremony master laid foundations that continue to influence Japanese arts and philosophy to the present day.  This beautiful dry landscape garden was created in the early Edo Period and is a nationally designated place of scenic beauty in Japan.
    nanshuji-garden-5.jpg
  • Keitaku Garden or Keitakuen is a chisen kaiyushiki pond garden in Tennoji Park Osaka. The garden was donated to the city of Osaka in 1926. The garden is centered around a pond with an island.  The walking path, stepping stones and bridges are all placed to create an adventure when strolling the garden. Jihei Ogawa  designed this garden as well as this modern landscaping style.  He is best known for designing Heian Shrine garden and Maruyama Park in Kyoto. The garden was originally named Keitakuen.
    keitaku-garden-12.jpg
  • Konpuku-ji was built in 864 by a priest named Jikaku.  The famous poet Matsuo Basho stopped at this temple for a few nights, and stayed in a small building in the temple compound, which was later renamed Basho-an.  The temple zen garden is a classic rock garden with many satsuki rhododendrons, making early summer the best time to visit.  A small path goes around the back of the garden and climbs a slope covered with satsuki to reach Basho-an.
    kompuku-ji-6.jpg
  • Rakusuien Garden at Jonangu Shrine is rarely seen by visitors - partly because the buildings are fairly new, having been rebuilt in the 70s after being destroyed by fire. Nevertheless, its magnificent Rakusuien Garden is an island of tranquility when compared with the hubbub of the more famous gardens in Kyoto.  Hara no Yama Garden is rather austere, consisting of a winding path that goes past a stone lantern and waterway.  Heisei Garden is composed of a large pond with an island making much use of borrowed scenery from the forest behind and its own waterfall.  Muromachi Garden has its own small pond and an adjacent teahouse, with a large field behind it with artistically sculpted shrubs.  The path leads into Momoyama Garden, with weeping cherry trees.  Lastly there is a dry rock karesansui garden, Jonan Rikyu, though it cannot be called a “Zen Garden” because it is within a Shinto Shrine compound, rather than a Zen Buddhist temple.
    jonangu-shrine-garden-18.jpg
  • Myorenji was originally called Myorengeji rebuilt in 1394 and began to be called by its present name Myoren-ji. The main point of interest at Myoren-ji is its rock and moss garden unusual by its use of large rhododendrons and pine trees. Myoren-ji also has a smaller inner garden with flowers.
    myorenji-3.jpg
  • Toji-in was founded in 1338 by Lord Ashikaga as a family temple, under the supervision of priest Soseki Muso who was then one of the most famous landscape gardeners in Japan.  The garden of Toji-in is one of the best surviving gardens designed by Soseki.  The main garden is divided in two parts. The western one, called the "lotus pond" near the temple buildings and composed around a pond. Above the pond garden is Seiren-tei teahouse.
    toji-in-6.jpg
  • Okochi Sanso “Mountain Villa” is the former home and garden of the Japanese film actor Denjiro Okochi. The villa is known for its gardens and buildings that are recorded as cultural properties by the Japanese government including: a traditional Japanese villa and teahouses set within a Japanese strolling garden. They were built up over the years by Okochi as one of his residences, but were opened to the public after his death in 1962. The various gardens were designed to show off each of the four seasons.
    okochi-sanso-11.jpg
  • The stone garden of Jisso-in has a number of modern features that make it unique among Zen gardens. Jisso-in makes use of large moon shaped stones that appear as though they are submerged below the gravel. Looking like giant ocean waves, these man-made stones rise up alongside the garden’s mossy island and formed stones. The garden has a surrounding wall that is lined with trees, and its unusual elements contribute to the garden’s elegance.
    jisso-in-10.jpg
  • Murin-an is a villa reached through a tiny entrance that makes it seem secret and hidden.  Arimoto Yamagata and master gardener Jihei Ogawa designed this garden  From the villa you can reach the top of the garden where the spring flows on stepping stones, that is via a winding strolling garden along the waterways.
    murin-an-15.jpg
  • Jiunji Temple Zen Garden - Jiunji Temple is blessed with a variety of growth: pine, cherry blossoms as well as a dry rock garden and moss which highlights each season. Gardeners are brought in from Kyoto to maintain the trees and the garden.  But besides all that, adjacent to the temple and garden is a huge pine tree that was planted in the 16th century by the zen monk Tenkei.  Jiunji is surrounded by gardens - not only one garden, but  an array of gardens, zen, moss and a pond garden behind the main hall.
    jiunji-8.jpg
  • Otani Garden grounds were once part of Japanese noble Kiyomasa Kato’s estate. The garden and palace came to be known as Prince Fushimi Palace. After World War II, ownership was taken by Yonetaro Otani, a sumo wrestler and founder of the New Otani Hotel, who created the present garden.  Otani Garden is known for its waterfall, thoughtfully laid out trails and cherry trees, all of which makes visitors forget that one is in the center of one of the world’s largest cities.
    otani-garden-05.jpg
  • Shoden Eigen-in is a sub-temple of Kennin-ji.  At the time of its foundation, Shoden Eigen-in was made up of two separate main temples: Shoden-in and Eigen-an.  The temple was restored in the fifteenth century by a student of the tea master, Sen-no-Rikyu who practiced tea ceremony at the temple and for that purpose built a detached teahouse named Jo-an.  Eigen-an Temple was established in 1346 by the Zen priest, Mugai Ninko. The two temples were merged into one by the statesman Hosokawa Moritatsu. The temple formed from the merger was named Shoden Eigen-in.  Shoden Eigen-in is famous for Jo-an teahouse and for its beautiful garden.  The garden is only open for short periods or on special occasions, usually during April and November for sakura and momiji viewing.
    Shoden-Eigen-in-3.jpg
  • Suizenji Garden is strolling Japanese garden in Kumamoto. Its centerpiece is a tsukiyama representation of Mount Fuji.  Lord Hosokawa began construction of the garden in 1636 as a teahouse retreat.  Hosokawa selected the site for the spring fed pool that provided excellent tea water.
    suizenji-2.jpg
  • A wealthy landowner, Genji Tanaka donated the space for Edogawa Gyosen Garden to the city of Tokyo City, Edogawa ward in 1950.  They created Gyosen Park as we see it today. Its Heisei Garden was created in 1989, with a pond side tea house Genshinan which can be rented out for tea ceremony and special occasions. A stone pathway encircles the pond in the Heisei Garden, passing among craggy rocks that one has to climb over.  In flatter terrain, behind Genshinan Teahouse, there is a fine large dry karesansui garden, rarely visited by park goers.
    heisei-gyosen-edogawa-15.jpg
  • Korea Pavilion and Garden at Mitsuike Garden - the garden’s style was based on the gardens of provincial royalty in Korea during the Joseon dynasty.  Under the supervision of Min Kyung-hyun the architecture was planned by the Institute of Seoul Architecture and Culture. The garden is made up of five areas: front garden, front courtyard, main garden, back courtyard and the back garden representing  the relationship with nature based on Feng Sui.  Using an original garden techniques.  For most visitors, the greatest draw to Misuiike Park is the fact that it is listed as top 100 sakura cherry blossom viewing spots in Japan with 78 varieties of sakura, and altogether1600 trees.
    mitsuiike-garden-10.jpg
  • Jikoin Tatami and Teahouse - Jiko-in was founded in 1663 by Sekishu Katagiri, a feudal lord of the area who mastered the way of Zen Buddhism and tea ceremony.  He believed that tea ceremony was part of his meditation regime, and so constructed a tea ceremony room and garden for this purpose.  The garden is well known for its elaborate shrubbery - and also includes a larger view of the Yamato plain and hills, contrasted with the temple, tea room, trees, stones, shrubs and grass.  Jiko-in is also very unique in that it is a rare exception that visitors can wander around the shrubs and dry rock garden.
    jikoin-13.jpg
  • Bupposhoryuji Temple Garden, Lake Suwa - The gardens are composed in different areas surrounding the temple main hall.  These are the remains of the Momoyama period with stone configurations and construction and in the center of the pond, tortoise islands have been added over the centureis.  Behind the main hall the garden continues and the pond shape of the Chinese character for heart.  Additionally there are other gardens added during the Meiji and Taisho periods, originally conceived for form a rose, no separated into two small ponds.  The Showa Period garden, slightly more modern, features a waterfall, and a statue is sculpted beside the waterfall.  The composition and arrangements of the plants are what makes this area of the garden special.  Taken as a whole, Bupposhoryuji Temple Garden is to be viewed as a collection of gardens, spanning different eras of Japanese history, rather than one single garden
    bupposhoryuji-6.jpg
  • Sakura Cherry Blossoms at Arisugawa-no-miya Park, usually known just as Arisugawa Park contains a lush Japanese strolling garden that follows the hilly contours of the terrain.  The elegantly designed landscape offers  paths with a variety of types of bridges spanning streams that flow into the pond.   Arisugawa-no-miya was originally the domain of feudal lord, then was acquired by the noble Arisugawa-no-miya family. The family donated the land to the city of Tokyo.  Like nearly all Japanese gardens in Tokyo, it is incorporated into a city park.  Within the grounds, occupying a different tier above the pond garden are sports facilities and Tokyo Metropolitan Library Tokyo Toshokan.
    arisugawa-park-11.jpg
  • Tofukuji Fumo-in is a Japanese garden at Kaisan-do, a sub-temple at Tofuku-ji. On the east side of the path that cuts through the dry zen garden, a lush pond garden has a stone bridge, shrubs and a hill. Besides being one of the finest gardens in Kyoto, it is rarely visited to tour groups as it is overshadowed by its neighbor Tofukuji.
    fumo-in-kaisando-11.jpg
  • Ryuun-ji Temple Garden, sometimes spelled Ryuoun-ji or Ryounji, has two distinct gardens: The Muryoju Garden is a dry zen karesansui garden in front of the main hall.  The garden was designed by Yasuo Kitayama, a disciple of Enshu Kobori.  It is common for most temples and gardens in Shizuoka to claim some connection to Kobori Enshu as he spent time in the area, and in fact did design a couple of the more renowned temple gardens in Hamamatsu. The three largest stones represent the Buddhist triad, with the surrounding stones representing the disciples.  In front of the Paradise area, where the Buddha is located, a tortoise stone to the west and a dragon to the east watch over Buddha. The walls were kept low by the designer so that passers-by and event motorists could glimpse into the garden, feel welcome and enter.
    Ryuunji-Temple-Garden-1.jpg
  • Oyokokawa Shinsui Park stretches along for nearly 2 kilometers along the Oyoko River –  really a canal connecting larger rivers to the north and south.  This park has five zones: Tsurikawara, Kappakawara, Hanamomiji, Palette Plaza and Blue Terrace. Along thiis narrow but long strip of public park, there are several areas devoted to playgrounds for children, a fishing hole, a rockery and waterfall, and another wide waterfall falling down over a modern, zen-inspired stone arrangement.
    oyokokawa-shinsui-25.jpg
  • Established in 1372, Unryu-in is a sub-temple of Senyuji.  Its location is hard to find which keeps it under the radar for mass tourism.The temple has two large halls, Ryugeden and Reimeiden, each one with its rather empty garden. The best, however, is the back garden and the three rooms that surround it. There is a tiny tsuboniwa zen garden between the halls, with a single stone poking out of it.  In addition to this and its main garden, there is also a rather unusual one with radiating from a stone lantern.
    Unryu-in-05.jpg
  • Ichijo Ekan was a noble during the Edo Period, the son of Enperoro Goyozei but was adopted by the Ichijo clan.  He served as Advisor and Regent to the Emperor, brother Enperor Gomizuno.  In later years he became a Buddhist monk and took the name Chitoku Ekan.  He was an affcionado of the arts, especially tea ceremony, flower arrangement, architecture and calligraphy.  Naturally, these interests led him to construct a retreat which was originally built in Kyoto and later brought to Kamakura.. Ichijo Ekan Sanso is an exquisite example of Japanese court architecture often compared to Katsura Rikyu.  The use of natural materials in the villa and garden highlights the nature loving tastes of the time.
    ichijo-ekan-sanso-8.jpg
  • Raikyu-ji Temple Garden at Tenchu-zan Ankoku Raikyu-ji - When the governor of the area died he was succeeded to the post by his son Kobori Enshu who is considered to be one of the founders of the Japanese tea ceremony as well as his fame as a garden designer. Kobori lived at the temple, is said to have built the present zen garden.  It was designed in the "Horai style" to emphasize spiritual peace and harmony in its composition and in the consciousness of the viewer using nearby Mount Atago in the background to form a shakkei "borrowed scenery". The garden is also known as Tsurukame Garden because of the two stone islands in the garden named Crane and Tortoise.  Although it was completed in 1609  the abbots of the temple have maintained the garden in its original form in honour of its designer. This Japanese rock garden called karesansui, which uses no water and instead uses stones and sand to express a natural landscape, has been designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty. Raikyuji Temple Garden has even been awarded a star in the Michelin Green Guide Japan.
    raikyu-ji-garden-4.jpg
  • Northern Garden, Tofukuji Hojo Temple.  Square cut stones and moss are distributed in a chequered pattern. Though modern in its style and composition, this is one of the most unique gardens in Japan.  Renowned landscape architect and garden designer Shigemori Mirei designed this garden in an ichimatsu inspired checked pattern.
    tofukuji-north-06.jpg
  • Shiofune Kannon-ji Azalea Garden - Shiofune Kannon-ji is most famous for its azaleas that bloom in late April and early May, with 17,000 trees from fifteen different types.  The plants form a unique azalea garden that is unusual in its design and conception.  On top of the undulating hills and mounds of azaleas is a large statue of Kannon the Buddhist goddess of mercy for whom the temple is named. <br />
 Shiofune Kannonji temple is where founder Yao Bikuni is said to have lived 800 years through eating mermaid flesh. The temple was built in 650, though the main hall was erected in the Muromachi period.  The temple has been designated as an important cultural property by the government of Japan.
    shiofune-kannonji-01.jpg
  • Ohori Pond Garden - Fukuoka’s Ohori Japanese strolling garden was built in 1979 to mark the park’s 50th anniversary. The garden is made up of hills, trees groves and ponds. It was constructed with traditional gardening techniques although it is relatively new. A winding stream, a dry Zen garden, and a teahouse along with its adjacent garden are laid out around the highlights of the venue.  Ohori Garden is one of the finest examples of modern Japanese gardening to date.
    ohori-garden-4.jpg
  • Kyu Yasuda Stone Lantern Ishidoro - Kyu Yasuda Teien was once the grounds of a samurai and designed in 1688 by Honjo Inabanokami Munesuke.   The strolling garden was taken over and remodeled in 1894 by Zenjiro Yasuda. The Great Kanto Earthquake and also WWII seriously damaged the garden. It was renovated in 1927 after the earthquake and again in 1971.  It was given to the city of Tokyo according to Yasuda’s dying wishes. Kyu Yasuda Teien has been open to the public ever since as a public park. The pond garden retains the appearance described in literature of the Meiji period and is one of the typical gardens of this period.
    kyu-yasuda-garden-21.jpg
  • Denpo-in was once called "Kannon-in" or "Chiraku-in" when it was built, the name was changed to Denpo-in during the Genroku Period.  The strolling pond garden or Chisen Kaiyu Shiki is laid out in a circular style.  The garden has long been for imperial prince abbots and was never ever open to the public until recent years and even now it is only open a few weeks per year in springtime.  The garden was designed by Enshu Kobori a master of tea ceremony, an architect and renowned Japanese garden landscape gardener.  Denpo-in is the private garden of Sensoji Temple’s abbot.
    denpo-in-14.jpg
  • Chishakuin Garden, the creation of tea master Sen-no-Rikyu is well known for its sense of optical expansion, here the illusion of space is created by the manipulation of scale and perspective providing an exercise in graduated topiary, with a broad expanse of shrubs.  Chishaku-in is an example of the synthesis of architecture and landscape, a feature of many Japanese gardens that is usually only noticed unconsciously.  The main garden of Chishakuin was inspired by the area around Mt. Rozan, China.  Chishakuin Temple is the headquarters of the Chisan School of Shingon Buddhism. The temple itself is has several National Treasures of Japan, wall paintings and decorative screen paintings.
    chishakuin-tsukubai-1.jpg
  • Ryotanji garden is from the Nara period, and its temple was founded in 733. The garden was created by Enshu Kobori and is located in the northern section of the temple and designated as a National Site of Scenic Beauty. The Shinji Ike pond garden was designed in the shape of the Chinese character kokoro or heart and the rock formations within the garden display characteristics of a Zen temple. The garden changes its expression during different seasons. The south garden is a more traditional dry zen garden composed of sand and stones.
    ryotanji-garden-9.jpg
  • Rinshoji Garden, Rinshoji Temple is known for its unique modern Japanese garden, designed by renowned modern Japanese garden designer Mirei Shigemori.  Mirei fused modern art with Japanese garden design.  Here, he took advantage of the gentle hill and sculpted shrubs as part of the motif.  It follows a Japanese wave pattern, often used in kimono designs. The garden is especially alive during May when the azaleas are at their peak.
    rinshoji-04.jpg
  • Shofuen is both a tea ceremony garden with a small strolling garden. The grounds are made up of carefully sculpted bushes that encircle large stones, that give it modern look.  Its teahouses were built on the site of Shofuso, the domain of Zenpachi Tanakamaru, a the aficionado and Kyushu pottery collector. The garden incorporates two small teahouses: Shofuan and Azumaya that Tanakamaru had built by the famous tea hut artisan, Kaichiro Usui.  Shofuan.  Shofuan has the same layout as the that of the great tea master Sen-no-Rikyu located in the Jukoin Temple at Daitokuji  in Kyoto.
    shofu-en-12.jpg
  • Saikyoji Garden - altogether there are four distinct gardens surrounding the temple’s main hall.  The most famous one is the Hyakuden Teien pond garden designed by Kobori Enshu during the Ido Period,  The pond is supposed to represent Lake Biwa nearby (others contend that the pond is in the shape of a rose)  with its backdrop slope punctuated with stones and satsuki bushes.  Adjacent to the pond is a sukiya style teahouse, an addition added during the Meiji Period that is almost never open to the public.   The second garden is called Dai Honbo Teien - its style is quite different from the Hyakuden Garden as it is composed of bushes in the tsukiyama style - its unique feature is of stepping stones embedded in the white sand “sea”. The third garden is the Shoin Teien, which is a dry garden created during the Meiji Period, and is composed of Sakamoto style masonry and stones.  The fourth main garden is Yashoiun Teien or Back Shoin Garden which was created much more recently by Shigetaro Nishimura a local landscaper and is considered a pond appreciation garden.
    saikyoji-12.jpg
  • Moon Window at Jodaiji Garden - Jodaiji is one of the Tosa Sanae garden in Kochi designated designated victory. Sagawa-cho is a castle town that once reigned by Ikuto Yamauchi and Mr. Fukao, and this garden "Hisagoen" is an Ikesen appreciation garden, which was also built in that period early Edo period. The temple garden is a designated place of beauty in Kochi Prefecture together with nearby Seigenji Temple garden.
    jodoji-garden-3.jpg
  • Chikurinji Temple Garden, Temple Number 31 - Chikurinji Temple is an important stop on the Shikikoku 88 Temple pilgrimage - it is marked as Temple 31 on the trail and one of Kochi’s most popular attractions.  Chikurin-ji sits on top of Mt Godai or Godaisan and was established during the 8th century and is most famous for its five storied pagoda; it is also known as a scholarly institution of Buddhism with its vast holding of important scrolls and Buddhist statues in its treasure hall.  There's a small pond garden - when looked at from the proper angle - gives the illusion that the temple is floating.
    chikurinji-21.jpg
  • Kotoji-toro, a stone lantern with two legs, said to resemble the bridge on a koto. This lantern is the symbol of Kenrokuen and Kanazawa.  Kenroku-en or the "Six Attributes Garden" (spaciousness, seclusion, artifice, antiquity, watercourses and panoramas)  along with Kairakuen and Korakuen, is one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan.
    kenrokuen-12.jpg
  • Kinkakuji was built in 1393 as a retirement villa for Shogun Yoshimitsu Ashikaga.  He intended to cover the exterior with gold, but only managed to coat the third floor with gold leaf before his death.  After his death, his son converted the building into a Zen temple of the Rinzai school named Rokuonji in accordance with Ashikaga's wishes.
    kinkakuji-3.jpg
  • Kiyosumi Garden Tobi Ishi - Stepping stones are called tobi-ishi in Japanese, literally skipping stones or flying stones. Walking on a stepping stone pathway the visitor has to make tiny leaps to get from one stone to another. Stepping stone paths force visitor to go in line, one after the other. This is one reason why tea gardens often have stepping stones. While walking down the path to the tea house, the guests have time to properly arrive in the garden, leave their everyday lives behind and mentally and spiritually prepare for the eminent tea ceremony.
    tobi-ishi-3.jpg
  • Moon Window at Meigetsuin - a Zen temple in Kamakura in harmony with nature. Composed of two gardens, one zen dry garden in front and a strolling garden in back. Meigetsuin is well-known for the many hydrangea in bloom in June, and vivid maples leaves in autumn.
    meigetsuin-garden-4.jpg
  • Originally created as a "Japanese Village" exhibit for the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition, the Japanese Tea Garden at Golden Gate Park originally spanned about one acre. When the fair closed, Japanese landscape architect Makoto Hagiwara created a permanent Japanese garden as a gift for posterity.  Hagiwara became caretaker of the property, pouring all of his personal wealth and creative talents into creating a garden of perfection.  Hagiwara expanded the garden to its current size of approximately 5 acres. He and his family lived on the grounds for many years until 1942 when they were forced to evacuate their homes and put into internment camps. Today, the Japanese Tea Garden endures as one of the most popular attractions at Golden Gate Park, featuring an arched drum bridge, pagodas, stone lanterns, stepping stone paths, native Japanese plants, serene koi ponds and a zen garden.
    golden-gate-tea-1.jpg
  • Koishikawa Botanical Garden is maintained by University of Tokyo, its purpose is to contribute to research and education in plant sciences.  Koishikawa Botanical Gardens are the oldest in Japan, with a long history originated as the Koishikawa Medicinal Herb Garden established in 1684 by the Tokugawa Shogunate. The Botanical Gardens were the birthplace of modern scientific research in botany in Japan after the Meiji Restoration.  Plant conservation is one of the main activities of Koishikawa Botanical Gardens.  On its grounds is the original Tokyo School of Medicine meiji period building.   Although it is best known for its rare species of plants and hundreds of sakura cherry trees, it also has a landscaped Japanese garden on its grounds.  Koishikawa Botanical Garden has been named a Place of Scenic Beauty and Place of Historic Significance by the government of Japan.  The gardens are open to the public.
    koishikawa-botanical-3.jpg
  • Shinnyo-do was founded in 984 by priest Kaisan to enshrine a statue of Buddha of Paradise. The temple became famous as a training centre where one can practice the "Fudan Nenbutsu", a prayer to Buddha that lasts all day without any pause, a tradition evolved into "O-juja" a 10 day chanting prayer that is still performed every year.  Many famous people and families are buried in the temple.  Leaving the main hall, a covered path leads to two gardens.   The first is the Nehan "Nirvana" garden and was built in the classic karesansui rock garden style in 1988. It uses the borrowed andscape technique to include Mt. Hiei in its design. The second garden was designed by Shigemori Chisao - Its geometrical pattern is similar in design to his father Shigemori Mirei works at Tofuku-ji and elsewhere.
    shinnyo-do-2.jpg
  • Daijo-in garden was designed by Zenami in the Muromachi Period and fell into ruin with the demise of the temple of the same name. In 1958 the site was designated as a National Scenic Place then the Japan National Trust restored the garden to its original brilliance.  The former Daijo-in temple prospered as a temple whose chief priest was a member of the imperial family but now only the garden remains.
    daijoin-garden-03.jpg