Basics of Japanese Tea Garden

This article provides an overview of the Japanese Tea Garden and the culture it promotes among the Japanese Garden lovers. It also shares information of the basic concepts to keep in mind when designing a Japanese Tea Garden.

The history of Japanese gardens dates back to the eleventh century in which distinct and strict rules were established for garden design. Documented writings describe forms of waterfalls, materials to be used, relationships of materials, and placement of the different elements. Also noted are historical references of garden design and arrangement and actual categories or styles that included Artificial Hill Gardens (Tsuki-yama), Level Gardens (Hira-niwa), and Tea Gardens (Chaseki). Much of the cultural influence came from the Chinese. Their traditions and Buddhism religion was imported around the sixth century A.D. which had an enormous influence on the Japanese way of life and also included gardening as well. The influence could be seen for more than a thousand years. The native religion of Japan, Shintoism, emphasized that all of nature, plants, trees, and rocks were sacred, and many gardens were considered a sacred place of worship that the Gods would visit. These areas would actually receive offerings and symbolized not only a place to worship nature and all of its creatures, but to worship their creator as well. The Japanese garden has evolved over the centuries in that it is much more than just an accumulation of rocks, trees, and other physical elements. It is a symbolism of belief in a spirit of unique gardens representing people and their cultures.

The Tea Garden also was introduced to Japan from the Chinese culture around the sixth century A.D. Because the Buddhism religion incorporated the use of tea in their ceremonies, did it not become popular until the thirteenth century. It is still unclear, but the generally accepted theory is that the tea ceremony celebrated the Zen beliefs of purity, inner peace, and simplicity through meditation.

A Japanese tea garden consists of two gardens, one that includes a waiting area where the guests will be called into the more formal, intimate, yet rustic structured inner garden. The outer design of the tea garden usually includes stepping stones leading to a cleansing area. Here the guests will perform a symbolic cleansing ritual, freeing themselves of all wrong doings, evil thoughts, and misfortunes of life. The outer garden will provide an atmosphere of preparation, which includes the stepping stones, a lantern, and cleansing area in a very simplistic setting all designed to prepare for the tea ceremony inside.

The inner tea garden is designed very simplistic and in a rustic, hut style structure. The atmosphere will be friendly and intimate. Here is where the tea ceremony is held. All is symbolic of the Buddhism belief of meditation and appreciation of the simplistic life cycle. The Japanese tea garden represents the virtues of Restraint, Politeness, Sensibility, and Modesty.

To summarize, a Japanese tea garden is much more that a garden of Japanese elements. It is much more than an accumulation of trees, rocks, water, and plants. It is a Garden of Respect for a people’s culture and religious beliefs that extend not only through centuries of the Japanese people, but through centuries of the Chinese people from which so much influence was introduced.