DOI issue:
No. 4 (July, 1893)
DOI article:Holme, C. Geoffrey: Artistic gardens in Japan
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.17188#0152
Artistic Gardens in Japan
are mere shelters, the roofs being supported only
by corner posts, and the earth beaten hard for the
flooring. At others, the sides are partly enclosed
A CHARRED WOOD FENCE
by wooden or plaster walls, the flooring being of
wood and raised above the earth. They are
always so arranged as to compose well with the
landscape, and by the simplicity of their con-
struction are entirely harmonious with their
surroundings. In this fact lies their chief charm.
To add to the privacy of the verandah, screens
(sode-gaki) are often placed at right angles with it,
and in their construction a great amount of in-
genuity is displayed. They are usually made of
bamboo and rushes, and by their appearance and
subdued colour, harmonise with the other features
of the garden. The variety in their design is
almost endless. In the construction of screens of
this character, the various parts are often joined
together by ties of hemp or of vine tendrils.
The walls, fences, or hedges, which enclose
gardens, are also very varied in character. Walls
of mud, held together by layers of tiles, and with a
projecting tiled roofing, are often to be found.
Fences made entirely of unpainted wood are com-
mon. To preserve the wood from the action of
the weather, and to give it at the same time an
ornamental appearance, the surface of the plank is
occasionally charred, apparently by the application
of a hot iron. The grain of the wood is brought
out prominently by being blackened more than the
intermediate portions, and the effect obtained by
this method is highly decorative. The planks are
often arranged alternately on each side of the
supporting framework as in the illustration.
Bamboo also enters largely in the construction
of fences. A fence of rushes with bamboo frame-
work is not uncommon. Clipped hedges of oak
or cypress are frequently used. A characteristic
gateway of wood with thatched roof is represented
in the initial letter of this article.
The cutting and pruning of trees is an art in
which the Japanese gardener excels. Upon rare
occasions some freaks are indulged in by him,
such as training trees in the shapes of junks,
pagodas, and other artificial forms. But this is an
art of purely Chinese origin, and has never found
much favour with the Japanese gardener, who
rather prunes his trees to aid or accentuate the
characteristic forms natural to the trees them-
selves.
Especially is this the case with the Pine tree—a
symbol in Japan of old age. There is a pro-
nounced feeling that this tree should, under all
circumstances, suggest the idea which it sym-
bolises, and the gnarled and rugged appearance
that is purposely given to it certainly serves this
end. Whatever may be thought of the torturing
that it may have had to undergo in this process of
age-giving, it cannot be said that the results are
foreign to its natural characteristics.
Just as a landscape painter might modify the
form of a tree that he sees before him in nature, to
suit the composition of his drawing, so does the
A SODE-GAKI
134
are mere shelters, the roofs being supported only
by corner posts, and the earth beaten hard for the
flooring. At others, the sides are partly enclosed
A CHARRED WOOD FENCE
by wooden or plaster walls, the flooring being of
wood and raised above the earth. They are
always so arranged as to compose well with the
landscape, and by the simplicity of their con-
struction are entirely harmonious with their
surroundings. In this fact lies their chief charm.
To add to the privacy of the verandah, screens
(sode-gaki) are often placed at right angles with it,
and in their construction a great amount of in-
genuity is displayed. They are usually made of
bamboo and rushes, and by their appearance and
subdued colour, harmonise with the other features
of the garden. The variety in their design is
almost endless. In the construction of screens of
this character, the various parts are often joined
together by ties of hemp or of vine tendrils.
The walls, fences, or hedges, which enclose
gardens, are also very varied in character. Walls
of mud, held together by layers of tiles, and with a
projecting tiled roofing, are often to be found.
Fences made entirely of unpainted wood are com-
mon. To preserve the wood from the action of
the weather, and to give it at the same time an
ornamental appearance, the surface of the plank is
occasionally charred, apparently by the application
of a hot iron. The grain of the wood is brought
out prominently by being blackened more than the
intermediate portions, and the effect obtained by
this method is highly decorative. The planks are
often arranged alternately on each side of the
supporting framework as in the illustration.
Bamboo also enters largely in the construction
of fences. A fence of rushes with bamboo frame-
work is not uncommon. Clipped hedges of oak
or cypress are frequently used. A characteristic
gateway of wood with thatched roof is represented
in the initial letter of this article.
The cutting and pruning of trees is an art in
which the Japanese gardener excels. Upon rare
occasions some freaks are indulged in by him,
such as training trees in the shapes of junks,
pagodas, and other artificial forms. But this is an
art of purely Chinese origin, and has never found
much favour with the Japanese gardener, who
rather prunes his trees to aid or accentuate the
characteristic forms natural to the trees them-
selves.
Especially is this the case with the Pine tree—a
symbol in Japan of old age. There is a pro-
nounced feeling that this tree should, under all
circumstances, suggest the idea which it sym-
bolises, and the gnarled and rugged appearance
that is purposely given to it certainly serves this
end. Whatever may be thought of the torturing
that it may have had to undergo in this process of
age-giving, it cannot be said that the results are
foreign to its natural characteristics.
Just as a landscape painter might modify the
form of a tree that he sees before him in nature, to
suit the composition of his drawing, so does the
A SODE-GAKI
134