1. Introduction
The purpose of this report is to clarify the Japanese landscape gardener Shigemori Mirei’s theory about the gardening from his descriptions about “Modern”. He is a person who had a great influence on Japanese gardens from both practical and theoretical perspectives by leaving the results of the survey with many publications and works. In this research, we try to clarify his thought with documents, which he has left by taking an approach to explore a part of his theory about the gardening. The “Modern” that he used is distinct from the concept of “Modernism” in the architectural field. For the above fact, we focus on the description of “Modern” written by himself to structure the meaning of description expressed by Shigemori in this research.
2. Overview of the descriptions about “Modern”
We can find the descriptions about “Modern” from “Garden Pleasure of Create and Appreciate” in 1958. He held up the phrase “Eternal Modern” as his principle of gardening to make “Nature” reach “Super Nature”. The descriptions about “Nature” and “Super Nature” are used before the descriptions about “Modern”, and are thought to be a pioneer of the idea of “Modern”. The descriptions about “Modern” are categorized into following four.
I.Context describing the characteristics of tea ceremony
II.Context describing the characteristics of the old garden
III.Context describing the characteristics of the contemporarily designed gardens and architecture
IV.Context describing the attitude and thought of the author who creates the gardens
3. Context in the descriptions about “Modern”
In this chapter, we analyzed the theory of “Modern”. His ideal was to draw up the “Modern” of the past tea ceremony and to create garden by “Abstract expression”. “Creation” and “Abstract expression” are regarded as the life of tea ceremony. The descriptions about “Modern” is used to explain his works for the first time at his work collection in 1964. The descriptions about “Modern” after his work collection is used not only for concrete things, but also for a conceptual things indicating “IV.Context describing the attitude and thought of the author who creates the garden”. The author aims for “Eternal Modern” beyond the era, regardless of past or modern time.
4. Conclusion
The characteristics of the descriptions about “Modern” of Shigemori Mirei, which has become clear through this paper are as the following.
①Shigemori has already used the descriptions about “Modern” not only for modern things but also for past tea ceremony and old garden at the beginning of use of the descriptions about “Modern”.
②The descriptions about “Modern” is also used as an example showing simply new things such as “Garden tree”, “School building”, “Architecture” which is a modern era.
③With the publication of the works collection in 1964, the descriptions about “Modern” will be used also for his works.
④After the collection of the works, the descriptions about “Modern” is developed not only for concrete things and works but also as conceptual things such as “Ideal” or “Truth”.
⑤Especially in the later years, he often uses the descriptions about “Modern” as a term explaining his garden.
We perceive that the process of the change as a gardener and as a researcher observing the old garden or the tea ceremony. This process is integrated as his idea.
