JAPANESE GARDENS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 12348, 7 January 1911, Page 2 (Supplement)

JAPANESE GARDENS.

MINIATURE PICTURES, BEAUTI FU L AN!) I N 'I ' KWiKKTTN li.

Tho art of a Japanese garden is indeed is just the Mine strong contrast to the want of art m an average English garden that is presented by the Japanese system of flower arrangement when compared with European methods. In the gardens of Japan, whether they be those of parks, tn* of famous "yasnikis" (the residence of a "daimo" or "samurai'M, or of a small tradesman, or a florist', it is the same thing. There is no mass of bedding plants flaming at one m vivid discords of color ; no suggestion of overcrowding ; no flaunting of wealth. The same minute thought that distinguishes Japanese flower arrangement is' apparent m the laying out and construction of the garden, which indeed, is often not a flower garden at all as we Westerners understand the term. In most cases it contains little of the nature of a flower-bed. In some instances, indeed, there is not a flower or } a sprig of green to bo seen, strange as " it may seem, the garden material consisting merely of carefully-chosen rocks, stones, artd sand. In which case the, idea is sometimes to' create a landscape impression of an approach to the seashore over sand dunes ; a represent ation of the margin of some creek of the Inland Sea; or a miniature picture of some seashore shrine, well known or otherwise, along the coast. The i illusion which is so skilfully created is 'generally beautiful, and always interesting^ The Japanese garden, m nine cases out of ten,' is a landscape one, but the space at the command of the gardener does not decide the question of its character, as is often the case with us. There are Japanese gardens covering many acres of ground, although these are certainly the exception rather than the rule, and there are others covering a space ( of about as marty square yards, and m each instance, to the Japanese mind, landscape gardening is a possibility. With us this type of gardening calls up a vision of widely stretching space, but to the Japanese it merely infers a landscape made accurately to scale, with every possibility of effect, taken advantage of m the' production of the perfect illusion which is aimed at and accomplished. The quaintest garden of alii, and bne which perhaps strikes the traveller? m Japan with' greatest bonder, is the "toko-niwa" or "koniwa", beloved of those whose houses are . so situated, m large towns that there is no space for a garden plot at all. Often this curious little garden is arranged m a bowlvor vessel scarcely larger than a pie-dish of moderate size, ; and it is sometimes placed m the "toko-noma or the raised recess m the homes of the poor. The "toko-niw«;" which is generally held m a curious-shaped bowl or a shallow carved box, has m it ponds as large as a postage-stamp, rivulets as wide as a lucifer match, tiny hills wiih equally miniature plants whifch do duty r for forest giants, and shialP pebbles which do" the same for rocks. There will often be a tiny shrine or "toril" , as well to mark some beauty-spot of this wonderful minute representation of Japanese landscape; of which? no salient feature teems .ever* to be omitted. One can only marvel at the ingenuity and skill with , , which a park has been constructed m nh area frequently scarce ly exceeding v that of a normal-sized pocket handkerchief, and at the wonderful result that the Japanese artist has contrived to create.-p-Clive Holland,, m the London. Evening Standard.