Other Japanese gardens-5

A garden architect who gained much recognition and influence in and outside Japan after the second world war, was Kinsaku Nakane (1919-  ?  ). He lectured at universities in Kyōto and Harvard and designed gardens for several places in almost all continents.
His work makes quite a different impression than that of Shigemori. It is not easy to put into words what the difference is. Both are great artists. Perhaps it is a matter of character. Shigemori often placed an exclamation mark, with Nakane one sees more attention dashes.
Around 1960 Nakane made a new garden in Kōrin-in in the Daitoku-ji complex. Kōrin-in is the family temple of the former daimyō of Echizen. On the south side of the hōjō lies the garden Nakane designed on the basis of old drawings for a garden that used to be at the estate in Echizen. It is a karesansui symbolizing, according to the leaflet of the temple, the mountains of the blessed, but to us it looks more like a karetaki or dry waterfall. In a sea of white gravel is a small artificial hill carpeted with moss. There are some well-trimmed pine trees, clipped azalea bushes, some ferns and Ophiopogon. The dark coloured beautiful rocks have lighter veins and blotches. The tall bridge in the rear is a remarkable component and it underlines the level face of the rock to the right. Although the design is on the basis of old drawings, the result belongs unmistakably to the 20^th century. The lines are powerful and pure. A jewel, to  look at during a long time.

 

      

Taizō-in in the Myōshin-ji complex, has two important gardens. The upper garden, the oldest one, dates from the early 16^th century. The name Ganshin-no-tei means Garden of the Origin of Faith. On about 100 m² there is a karesansui with an almost naturalistic landscape of a pond, islands and a waterfall. From this dry waterfall starts a stream, at the outset with rather large pebbles. It is attributed to Kanō Motonobu, the most famous painter of his time. The lower garden designed by Nakane in 1965 has as its central theme a real waterfall. His design mirrors the waterfall of the old garden surprisingly: the idea and the pattern are the same, but the result is totally different. The name of the new garden is Yokō-en, which means Garden of the Lingering Fragrance. From the Waterfall of the Dragon King the water goes down into a small pond. The broad stream is interestingly bordered by some large rocks. At the end of the garden, on the shore of the pond, is a large arbour with purple-flowering Wisteria floribunda. Next to the lively stream with its rapids the scene is quiet with very low karikomi following the line of the gentle slope. On top of it is a small open hut with a thatched roof. The waterfall is backed by a large trimmed plant structure. 
When we look at the given names, the Dragon King and the Lingering Fragrance, and at the arbour with purple fuji (Wisteria), it becomes clear that we are to think of the Heian period. The Dragon King is one of the Four Guardian Gods, always situated in the east and associated with water. The Lingering Fragrance reminds us of the Genji Monogatari and especially of Kaoru, the hero of the last chapters. The purple fuji is almost synonymous with Murasaki, the gentle and wise heroine of the Tale of Genji. One does not need to know this to be able to enjoy the garden, but it tells us something about the architect. He seems very much aware of the history of his country, of literature and of garden making of course. He finds it worthwhile to try to fit in. And he likes it to give us a clue. That he recaptured the waterfall of the old garden is also telling. Not only the fragrance is lingering.   

 

Yokō-en, seen from near the waterfall	Ganshin-no-tei, the waterfall is in the rear	Yokō-en, waterfall and stream

 

(Of the old garden we do not have a photo to illustrate our story. We took therefore a photo from a classic garden book: The Garden Art of Japan, 1973, text and photos by Masao Hayakawa, in the hope that he does not mind.)
Before entering Yokō-en, on top behind the waterfall, there are two new small gardens. One with stones in gravel. In the other one captivating stones together with rounded forms of trimmed shrubs in a carpet of moss. There are low hedges too. The little gardens exude a playful self-confidence. 

The Sacred Garden in Jōnan-gū  was designed by Nakane and named Rakusui-en. The Shintō-shrine dates from 794, the year of the foundation of Kyōto. It was the guardian shrine of the Heian capital. The Imperial Villa Jōnan Rikyū was built at the end of the Heian period. In its prime it included many temples and villa’s. Nakane started the new garden in 1976 on the basis of old drawings and descriptions. Scattered through the whole garden, which covers 2 hectares, grow the more than hundred kinds of plants depicted in the Genji Monogatari. There are five different gardens.

Haru-no-yama: Spring Hill. Beside the brook flowing from the man-made hill the purification ceremony “Nagoshi-no-harae” is performed on June 30. The path is lined with grasses, Camellia’s and a bamboo grove.

Heian-no-niwa: Coming from the Spring Hill one passes a small stream with many stones. It runs into a rather large more or less oval pond in which lies an also oval island. This Naka-jima is framed by robust rocks. In the rear in the southwest is a low, female, waterfall. In the water many solitary stones. At the other side of the path is a charming little corner around a kind of brook connected with the pond in the east. Farther on, in the southeast, the water leaves the pond to continue as a winding stream. It runs along an open space with a Wisteria trellis and a tall roof on legs. Along this stream is held twice a year, in April and November, Kyokusui-no-Utage, the poetry festival we mentioned in Other Japanese gardens-1. Perhaps the tall roof is a refuge for the poets when it happens to rain. On the west and south side of the pond the planting is so dense that one does not see the buildings lying behind at all. The planting is varied, clipped azalea’s but also solitary shrubs and some not too big trees. Perennials provide colour until well into autumn. Now and then a nameplate tells us what the name is in Japanese and in Latin.
It is a fascinating garden that shows a great attention for details. As an ordinary visitor one is actually only allowed to walk around it. Inside it must be even more attractive.
Our marginal comments regard the course of the water and the unusually large amount of stones. In the Heian period, according to the Sakutei-ki, water has to enter the pond in the east or northeast and to leave in the southwest. Here the waterfall is in the southwest. Perhaps this is one of the occasions in which it is permitted to diverge because of the powers of the shrine to thwart evil forces. For the ample amount of rocks there is not such an explanation.  

 

 

 

Muromachi-no-niwa: Coming into the garden one is pleasantly surprised by the view lengthwise over the pond in the shape of a gourd. At the narrowest point a bridge connects the two shores. In the eastern part of the pond lies a large Hōrai island. In the western part we find solitary rocks and a dark male waterfall. There are a lot of interesting rocks and stones in the whole garden, often beautifully positioned. The planting is harmonious and well-cared for. Near the small elongated tea house grows a pine-tree trimmed into clouds. Around and along the tea house good paths ask the visitor to walk with attention. In the west a Wisteria arbour invites one to take a seat and to look out over the pond.
One short comment. Opposite the waterfall is a peninsula that is not on the ground plan of the garden. It drew our attention, because it disturbs the good outline of the pond and it clutters the views.
Still in the Muromachi garden, in a corner in the west is a composition of large rocks with a path going through, that could be a dry waterfall, but we have no affirmation for this conjecture.  

                 

 

 

 

Momoyama-no-niwa: This is more a sculpture than a garden. The path one is permitted to go on, leads along an extensive lawn. In the south eastern corner is a composition of fantastically shaped stones, palms and ōkarikomi.

Jōnan Rikyū-no-niwa, (toba-rikyū): An elongated piece of garden in north-south direction accommodates large areas and slopes with Ophiopogon and gravel, and large rocks. The leaflet of the shrine: “This dry landscape garden represents Jōnan Rikyū on a reduced scale. The neatly arranged rocks allow you to imagine the magnificent appearance of many large buildings of the Villa which used to stand here about 800 years ago.”
Perhaps an attempt was made to do this more or less as a scale model. In the north we seriously need an explanation for the highly unusual and awkward arrangement. In the south and the centre the garden is quite attractive. Our photos only show the admirable points!
In the southeast corner a figure stands guard we cannot read otherwise than as a space travel Buddha. It emphasizes the futuristic qualities of this garden. The extension of the name Jōnan Rikyū with “toba-rikyū” also points in the direction of a joke. A “toba-e” is a comic picture, so “toba-rikyū” means perhaps comic or mock villa’s?  

 

 

We had never heard about this garden nor about Nakane, and we discovered the garden by a lucky coincidence in November 1998. We were enthralled! We felt at home! Nakane began to make this garden in 1976, we – in the Netherlands – started our garden in 1977. We were inspired by lots of books and photos, but especially by stories about the Heian period. Other people in the west at that moment were occupied by Zen gardens, sometimes by tea gardens. We had often to explain about the different types of garden and what kind of Japanese garden we were making. And we met some suspicion: Could a garden containing perennials be a real Japanese garden?
And now we saw all this, it was unbelievable. Compare for instance the path in front of the tea house in the Muromachi garden with the paths in our garden, pictured on Japanese garden-1.  Of course, Rakusui-en is much larger, more elaborate, full of variety. The shrine obviously is rich enough to obtain the most beautiful and valuable rocks and pine-trees. And Kinsaku Nakane is a genius we cannot dream to equal, but the feeling of affinity is very strong. We went there again in 2003 and we hope to see it a third time, perhaps in 2007.  

                                  

   

 

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