Patterns in Nature that Inspire Japanese Gardens and the Connection between Garden and Architecture

By Tim Gruner

Garden Curator/Head of Horticulture

AndersonJapanese Gardens

Overview

Much of what guides Japanese garden design is derived from patterns and rhythms found in natureand the human connection to the landscape. The general pattern formed by trees growing along streams and on slopes, the nature of a stream meandering and cascading down a mountain or winding through a gentle meadow, the gradual transition of the seasons marked by ephemeral blooms, humanities integration with nature, among many other things, all inform the designer of a Japanese garden.

At their best JN gardens can induce the positive emotional response felt by a human viewer that one might experience in a place of natural beauty. A sense of peace, calm, tranquility, opportunity for fresh clear thought, and awe of nature’s creativity and rejuvinative ability are some of the things that can occur in a garden space that might exist in the middle of a busy city or in one’s own back yard.

It could be said that in traditional Japanese culture, nature and humanity were considered part of the same thing. The Japanese garden is an expression of this; nature’s influence can be seen as the organic component of the garden with its natural shapes, asymmetry, and curvilinear lines. Humanities’ influence can be seen as the geometric component based primarily on the right angles of its architecture and cultivated fields. Together nature’s patterns and rhythms are carefully combined with humanities’ architecture to form a JN garden.

In essence, the garden and architecture come together to form one space. While the architecture is geometric in nature, it is composed of natural materials, in particular, clean grained unpainted wood, stucco surfaces the color of clay earth walls, stone around foundations and under posts, tatami mats made from natural materials, bamboo fences, etc. Nature flows into the architecture. Conversely, architecture flows into nature via parallel lines and materials that project from architecture into the landscape. A two-way osmosis occurs where the architecture absorbs aspects of nature and the garden absorbs aspects of the architecture for a more or less seamless flow from one to the other.

PRESENTATION

  • Hoichi Kurisu

Anderson Japanese Gardens Designer/Builder

  • Why do we go out of our way to seek special places in nature?

Benefits

  • Calming, peaceful, tranquil….
  • Mystery; a sense of wonder
  • Ancient; manifestation of deep time
  • Metaphor; survive difficult conditions and still express beauty; respect
  • A quality Japanese garden can evoke these positive reactions to ancient and mysterious nature; and the human connection to it.
  • Traditional Culture

Nature and humanity are part of the same thing.

  • Human Component
  • Geometric shape and line
  • Symmetrical
  • Nature
  • Organic shape and line
  • Asymmetrical
  • In the garden, organic and geometric line come together

Nature and humanity are part of the same thing

Organic and geometric fusion

Architecture and garden become one space

  • The space we live in
  • A Japanese garden is a collection of patterns and rhythms from nature linked with human connection to nature
  • Inspiration from Nature is combined with human living space becomes the” space we live in”
  • Two way osmosis
  • Lines of architecture perpetuate into the landscape

Architectural geometry is echoed in the choice of ornaments

  • The way streams flow in nature guide stream construction in the garden

Streams turn for a reason

  • bedrock outcrops, land forms

Wider in the turns

  • Gravel bars forming in the inside of turn
  • Cutting action is on the outside of the turn

Islands in streams, rivers:

  • Accumulations of gravels, sand, and plants on the downstream side
  • Paths mimic stream flow

Wider in the turns

Flowing in irregular rhythm through the garden

  • Forest behavior on steep slopes
  • Groups of trees behave like one

Groups of trees will create the canopy of one tree in nature

  • In a garden pruning can create the forested effect in a small space
  • This can be used to prune multi trunk trees, etc.
  • Leaning plants imply motion and can create harmony

 Prominent branch gesturing in the direction of the “flow” or the lean of the tree

Plants gesture toward focal points

  • Vegetation behavior along a stream
  • Gradual transition of the seasons

Mono no aware

  • Awareness that the transience of all things heightens appreciation of their beauty.
  • Endless flow of time
  • Chanoyu

Ichigo ichie: one moment, one opportunity

A celebration of the ephemeral nature of things; this moment as well

In Tea Ceremony, or Chanoyu, both guest and host aspire to bring the best of who they are into the moment

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