Japanese Garden Design Styles

Japanese Garden Design Styles are distinctive and beautiful. Read on for a better understanding of the three basic styles: Hiraniwa, Chisen-Kaiyu-skiki, and Roji-niwa.

The Flat Garden -- Hiraniwa

The Flat Garden is also known as the Zen Garden and the Dry Landscape Garden. It's primary feature is an area of raked, white gravel. This area may have boulders in it. It may also have a few plants. If you are not used to it, this garden seems very sparse.

Japanese garden design is concerned with 'space'. It's considered just as important as the plants or anything else.

The Flat Garden is meant to be viewed from one area -- not entered into. The Zen Garden is a type of Flat Garden that is often featured in Buddhist temples. It is largely accepted that it is used as a focus for meditation although that is not always true today.

A popular theme in the Flat Garden is the Buddhist paradise. The boulders represent the islands found in this paradise and the raked gravel represents the water that surrounds them.

Unless you are Buddhist, this type of garden could be very complicated to create. I suggest that you use it as inspiration for your own garden. Using the basic theme of water and islands, create something that has meaning for you.

The Hill & Pond Garden -- Chisen-Kaiyu-skiki

The Hill & Pond Garden is one of the older gardens in Japanese history. This garden's roots are in the Heian period aristocracy. The elaborate and expensive creation of a large pond, islands, and hills are a staple in this type of garden. If this is the type of garden that appeals to you, it could be done on a smaller scale.

The Strolling Garden is a type of Hill garden. It is a break from the tradition of only viewing a garden from a building. Instead, you enter into it and have many changing views of the garden from the pathways. If you've got a large lawn, a full scale Hill & Pond garden with pathways would make a big impact.

In early Japanese history, there may have been red, arched bridges because of Chinese influence, but these are a Chinese element and not a Japanese one. The garden later was changed into a style that reflected Japanese ways and less Chinese influence was seen.

If you want a bridge, but are concerned with staying 'true' to the Japanese garden design, keep the finish of the bridge natural instead of red.

The Tea Garden -- Roji-niwa

Tea has special significance in Japan. More than a drink, it has developed into an art form. Tea also has a mystical and definitely a religious air to it in Japan. The tea ceremony is the culmination of the appreciation and art of tea. The Tea Garden, likewise, has become an art form of its own.

The Tea Garden is a passageway garden leading the guests of the ceremony to the main tea room. Stepping stones are a large part of this as are certain key elements. Among these are the stone water basin (tsukubai) which is used for symbolic purification, stone lanterns, and possibly a gateway or series of gateways.

The Tea Garden is constructed to as to appear as natural as possible. Remember, it should also reflect qualities of wear and age that are usually not esteemed in Western gardens.

The Japanese phrase for Tea Garden, Roji-niwa or 'dewy path garden' points to the small mountain path that the Tea Garden is supposed to emulate. With this in mind, strive for natural, simple, and even rustic.

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