Yoshikien Garden

se_0.0

Drawing from nature and integrating these elements, Japan's gardens create something familiar yet new. The Sakuteiki, a book on Japanese gardens, suggests that the best approach is to combine various styles according to the pond's shape or the land's condition.

Japanese gardens advocate for the fusion and modification of existing elements. In Japan, the appreciation comes not from leaving nature as it is but from recreating natural landscapes through ideologies and techniques, embodying one's tastes in beautiful places.

Between Nara Park and Todaiji in Nara Prefecture, there lie two gardens: Isuien and Yoshikien.

Isuien, preserved since the Meiji era, offers an authentic experience of Japanese tea scenery from a teahouse, with a landscape that hides the view of Todaiji's South Great Gate and three mountains with trees, creating a visual harmony between the garden and its backdrop.

Yoshikien, free entry for foreigners, was once a temple belonging to Kohfukuji during the Meiji era, became privately owned, and now belongs to Nara Prefecture. The current buildings and garden were developed during this time.

Contrasting with the Korean attitude of appreciating the untouched landscape, Japanese gardens utilize actual nature as part of the garden or its backdrop, with human intervention to make it appear natural. The subject is human, and the object is nature.

Photo, Article: Se-Young Jeong (@se_0.0)