The AwaKokubunji temple garden was designated cultural assets scenic beauty in 2000. From this designated opportunity, we established "Special places of scenic beauty AwaKokubunji temple garden preservation maintenance examination committee" by cooperation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Tokushima Prefecture and Tokushima City in 2006. For five years, there was pushed forward garden preservation maintenance and an investigation and maintenance were able to be completed. From the result, many doubtful points of the garden were solved. The AwaKokubunji temple garden made up constitute of rare stone arrangement and garden design. It was thought that cave of stone arrangements was characteristic in this garden. However, this garden was different from popular the cave of stone arrangements. It was thought that the Natural bridge and Mt. Rozan (Lushan) of Chinese landscape were made in this garden by a motif. This report studied relations with Chinese landscape of the Natural bridge and Mt. Rozan about garden constitution and constructing garden design of AwaKokubunji temple garden.

View full abstract

Reizei’in is the detached palace of Emperor Saga, which was built at the beginning of the Heian period (9th century). Although some excavations of the site uncovered parts of the garden remains, it is difficult to know the layout and design of its garden at that time. This study is aimed to give more inclusive consideration to the garden from a garden historical perspective, by collecting and analyzing the Chinese poems about the Reizei’in written mainly under the rule of Emperor Saga.
As a result, the fact was revealed that the waterscape such as a pond, a cascade, different streams and a fishing pavilion was frequently mentioned in the Chinese poems. An earlier study pointed out that the garden made up of a pond and hills had extremely advanced design. Adding to that, this study clarified that it is the waterscape that gathered the essence of garden landscaping techniques at that time and had a particularly outstanding design. It is probably because of having such a characteristic garden that the palace was used for poem-making parties, in which the emperor and some aristocrats interacted intimately.

View full abstract

Kan’in mansion was established by Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu in the early Heian period, but there are still many things unknown about the mansion at that time. The purpose of this study is to reveal the design and function of its garden from the standpoint of garden history by collecting and analyzing Chinese poems about the mansion written in the Emperor’s attendances and private farewell parties.
In the Chinese poems were mentioned not only the different amusements like fishing, playing the koto (zither-like Japanese musical instrument), having tea and making poems, but also facilities in the garden such as a fishing pavilion, a tea house and a flower-viewing arbor. That reveals the fact that Kan’in mansion was a place sufficiently prepared for pleasures in the garden and suggests that the hospitality for the Emperor was fully considered because it was an aristocratic mansion. The Emperor’s attendance was for the investiture of Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu and his wife, so it is possible to think that the private poem-making party was held in order to tighten the intimate relationship among them.

View full abstract

Aritomo Yamagata (1838-1922), a military leader, statesman and the Prime Minister of Japan, created private gardens wherever he built his residences. In design of Chinzan-so (1878) he made the best use of the existing landscape including natural springs and wild plants. Later, when Yamagata designed Murin-an (1894) and Koki-an (1907), he took a different approach. He intended to prepare natural settings on the basis of his concepts even by constructing large-scale irrigation canals from remote water source areas. Clearly influenced by the landscape of his surroundings, Yamagata set out to create his own version of Nature in the gardens he created.

View full abstract

Zhuozhengyuan (The Humble Administrator's Garden) in the city of Suzhou beside Taihu Lake is one of the four most famous traditional Chinese gardens in China and it was proclaimed UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. There are old writings indicating that the garden was establish in the between 1509 and 1513 by the retired bureaucrat Wang Xiancheng and the garden was designed by the owner’s friend who is famous painter Wen Zhengming. This garden has over 500 years long history of during which renovated many times. The current configuration of the garden is quite different from the original composition. The aim of this study is to reveal the original design and the concept behind the garden. For this purpose, analysis of related literature, articles, Ink wash painting and maps was performed.

View full abstract