Today the gardening club has a talk on Japanese gardens, I don't think I will go, it is a sort of heretic act to talk of 'how' to Japanese garden, when in fact its principles lie in a religious foundation. If it is the same man as before we shall see his red bridge, and closely planted bushes an approximation of how to create. The above photo shows an interpretation of a landscape garden. Moss gardens are very beautiful, not for walking on but for contemplation and meditation. The last time Paul went to Japan he brought back photos of the Imperial Gardens of Kyoto, the old capital of Japan. But because space is at such premium in the country, gardens were small, and often contained tea-houses, again for peace and quietness.
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| Cloud bushes |
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| Islands floating in water |
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| Ryoan-ji temple garden |
The gravel was raked meticulously, it was a form of prayer, or maybe worship, a job that from the outside looks boring but allows meditation in the raking of the pattern.
In nature we slow down, allowing the spirit of the Earth to enter our thinking, I will not use soul because that creates other thoughts in the mind. But somehow when all is said and done it is impossible to make an idea from culture fit into another culture. We broadly sweep with Western Culture but what actually is it?
Ryoan-Ji Garden - Ruth Fuller Sasaki
Ryoan-Ji Garden - Ruth Fuller Sasaki
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These gardens are so very peaceful and beautiful Thelma - I love them. But, because my first husband, to whom I was married for thirty nine years - and who I loved very much, was the youngest serving soldier (16 and a Band boy) on the so called 'Death Railway' and suffered terrible cruelty at the hands of the Japanese, I do find it difficult to separate the two.
ReplyDeleteWell we are looking at different generations now Pat. It must have been terrible for your first husband to be on the 'Death Railway', there was terrible cruelty at the time.
ReplyDeleteThe serenity of these gardens is marvelous.
ReplyDeleteThe Japanese people are very different to us. Very polite, standing on ceremony but also wanting these echoes from the past in gardens and also in their cherishing of art and craft, especially the workers who commit their lives to it.
DeleteYes Thelma I do agree - I always looked at it like that but he could never do that. He had a happy and fulfilled life, living to be 66 - a painter in both water colour and oils, a musician and a devotee of early music- he played a variety of early instruments and also made them beautifully. But having seen many of his friends not survive the war he never found it in his heart to forgive,
ReplyDeleteIt is said that many people that came back from the two world wars would not speak of what they saw but that the tragedy of horror and death accompanied them through life. Your first husband had a life that he was happy with and that helped him I am sure.
ReplyDeleteWhen we visited Ireland, we stopped to see a Japanese garden and took photos. When we returned home, we chose our favorite photo and I sent it out to have it blown up on a canvas. It now hangs in our bedroom. When I wake up each morning, the first thing I see is that beautiful garden. It brings me such pleasure and serenity. I also truly love the way stones are utilized to create a curving imitation of a little brook. That came in handy when designing gardens we have had in New England. Lovely!
ReplyDeleteIt is true that we take a lot inspiration from the world around us, and it is very true that peace and serenity are part of the charm of Japanese gardens.
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