Okayama

Kōrakuen Garden: A Land Locked in Time

by Jumaidil Awal

Introduction
Okayama Kōrakuen Garden is one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan. Kōrakuen was rst built
under the order of Ikeda Tsunamasa, the head of Okayama-han, in 1687. The rst construction
was completed 13 years later in 1700.

Ikeda Tsunamasa was succeeded by his son, Ikeda Tsugumasa. During Ikeda Tsugumasa's reign,
Yuishinzan Hill was built, giving a stronger contour to the garden. The hill is reserved as the
highest point in the garden area. No buildings are allowed to stand higher than Yuishinzan Hill
does.

This article was made after two visits to this Great Garden: the rst, on October 14, and the
second, on October 18, 2017. This article elaborates three aspects of the garden: (1) the natural
elements, (2) the architectural elements, and (3) the harmonious combination of both.

The Natural Elements

One of the most de ning features of Japanese gardens is their unique arrangement of natural
elements, such as plants, water, stones, and even the empty space, and Kōrakuen is all about
this. Instead of being arranged in a symmetrical way, Japanese gardens' natural elements are
arranged in an arti cially natural way. In this section, three aspects of the natural elements in
Kōrakuen are discussed: (1) the waterway system, (2) the stone patterns, (3) the plants, and (4)
the empty space.

The Waterway System

Kōrakuen initially relied upon Asahigawa river as its water source. Due to the severe damage it
suffered from during WWII, it had to be rebuilt and this rebuilt version of Kōrakuen made use of
ground water as its water source. The water is circulated throughout the garden complex in such
a way that it keeps owing in a continuous direction and creates an impression of naturality at
the same time.

This combination of features are achieved by shaping the whole garden area in various heights.
The various heights also enable the water, together with its surrounding, to form various,
natural-looking spots. There are three forms of water bodies in Kōrakuen, i.e. ponds, streams, and
waterfalls. The ponds, namely Kayo-no-ike, Sawa-no-ike, and Kako-no-ike, are located at the
front, central, and rear areas of the garden complex, respectively. Each pond has its own unique
placement and features.

The rst to be discussed here is Kayō-no-ike (花葉の池) or " oral leaf pond". The location of this
pond, although being at the front area, is not easily noticeable since the surrounding is covered
by cypress, maple and cherry trees. Once the pond is "discovered", however, the beauty of this
pond becomes apparent. This technique of concealing beauty until the visitors reach the best
point of view is called 見え隠れ (miegakure) or "hide-and-reveal". The water in this pond is
covered with lotuses, as its name suggests. Not much of the water is actually observable here.
However, there's one feature of this pond that many might miss even though it is already stated
in the official pamphlet, which is its peaceful little waterfall. The waterfall makes use of special-
purpose stones, or 役石 (yakuishi), which are common in Japanese gardens.

Fig. 1. Kayō-no-ike as rendered by Google Maps. A bit to the left from the center, there is the
little waterfall, partly hidden by the trees. Dominating the right-side landscape is the lotuses.

The second pond is 沢の池 (sawa no ike) or "marsh pond". The kanji character for "sawa", though,
has the onyomi "taku" which usually means "brilliance" or "grace". As this kanji suggests, this
pond was intentionally built to showcase the grace of the garden. Unlike Kayō-no-ike, Sawa-no-
ike is not hidden at all. It is readily visible there, at the center of the garden. This pond gives
character to the image of the whole garden as being grand and spacious through the clever use
of empty space, islets, and Okayama Castle as the background (see Fig. 2).

Fig. 2. Sawa-no-ike, the graceful pond.

This technique of magnifying the image of a garden by incorporating small-sized elements and
the surrounding is called 借景 (shakkei) or "borrowing of scenery". As seen in Fig. 2, with the
islets in the pond and Okayama Castle in the background, the owing ripples look as if they were
waves because the pond looks larger than it actually is.

The third pond is 花交の池 (kakō no ike) or "pond of alternating owers". This name came from
the original design of this pond, which was surrounded with various blossoming trees. In
addition to the pond itself, Kakō-no-ike is also accompanied by a small waterfall called Kakō-no-
taki. Together, they make a soothing scenery nearing the end of autumn as shown by Fig. 3. The
placement of Kakō-no-ike is a combination of miegakure and straightforward placement. If
visitors come from Chishio-no-mori side, they will likely nd it easily. Yet, if visitors come from
Ryuten Pavilion side, the position of this pond is quite hidden by the winding path and the many
trees. The placement of Kakō-no-taki is even more subtle. As shown by a video capture in Fig. 4,
Kakō-no-taki cannot be seen from the particular side of the pond.

Fig. 3. Kakō-no-ike and Kakō-no-taki. (source: http://103hl6897.blog.fc2.com/blog-

entry-130.html)

Fig. 4. The hidden Kakō-no-taki. (source: Okayama Korakuen Garden Channel, https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBm6l4eNkFU)

The next form of water landscape in Kōrakuen is streams. The streams were designed to ow in
winding paths, hence the name: 曲水 (kyokusui), the "bent water". Some streams are deep
enough to ow smoothly, focusing more on the visual peacefulness of the water, while some
others are rather shallow to let themselves create clearer sounds along the ow. Figs. 5 and 6
show the examples of deep and shallow streams respectively.
 Fig. 5. Deep stream.

Fig. 6. Shallow stream.

Waterfalls, streams, and ponds in Kōrakuen are all designed to mimic the nature as much as
possible while keeping the amount of clutter to a minimum. They are arti cial but look natural.
They are simpli ed by a complicated set of principles. They are both the embodiment of the
Japanese philosophy and the metaphor of the Japanese culture.
The Stone Patterns
Stone arrangements are found in at least three kinds of landscape here: (1) waterfalls, (2)
streams, and (3) stepping stones. The interesting thing about stone arrangements in Kōrakuen is
that it has both typical and unusual styles compared to the general standard of Japanese
gardens.

As what has been mentioned above, there are two waterfalls in Kōrakuen Garden, i.e. Kakō-no-
taki and the nameless one at Kayō-no-ike. Fig. 7 shows the visual comparison of the two falls.

Fig. 7. Kayō-no-ike waterfalls (left) and Kakō-no-taki (right).

Since the waterfalls in Kōrakuen are not very tall, their stone arrangement is a combination of
the styles common for streams and waterfalls. This can be seen from the simultaneous
application of ow-bending stones (typical of waterfalls) and width-reducing stones (typical of
streams).

Fig. 8. Stone arrangement in the stream around Ryuten Pavilion.

While the stone arrangements in most of the streams can normally be found in any other
Japanese garden, one arrangement seems to be worth-mentioning here. It is the arrangement
of stones in the shallow streams surrounding the Ryuten Pavilion (Fig. 8) and inside it (Fig. 9).

Fig. 9. Interior of Ryuten Pavilion. (source: http://muza-chan.net/aj/poze-weblog2/korakuen-

japanese-garden-ryuten-okayama-big.jpg)

Instead of using stones of various sizes in a balanced composition, the arrangement sticks to
mainly using only two kinds: (1) big rocks and (2) colorful pebbles. This contrast brings a sense of
wabi-sabi to the visitors. Wabi is along the lines of "the inherent beauty of simplicity" while sabi
"the high value of worn-out things". Less is more. Perfect with imperfections.

And the last one is the stepping stones. It is interesting to note that 草-style (草 reads sō which
literally means "grass" but here is taken to mean "informal") stonework which uses only natural
stones is so prevalent here in Kōrakuen. Natural stones are not only used as stepping stones or
飛石 (tobi ishi) but also in bridges and stairs among others. This can be seen in Figs. 6 and 10.

Fig. 10. Stepping stones, bridge, and stairway leading to the peak of Yuishinzan Hill.
Being prevalent in a royal garden, this informal style gives an impression to the visitors of how
modest and casual the Ikeda daimyō were when compared to their counterparts. This impression
is strengthened when we learn that it is the Ikeda clan who actually built the rst public school in
Edo period, even in the entire history of Japan; something not even the Tokugawa would ever
think of.

The Plants
The current plants found in some of the most important spots within Kōrakuen are sadly no
longer precisely re ect their original design. However, we can still imagine the ancient plant
composition through the uniquely Japanese species found throughout the garden, such as
sakura, iroha kaede, rice, tea and, of course, goyōmatsu (Japanese white pine).

These plants serve their own purpose. Sakura and iroha kaede were primarily planted as the
"coloring of the seasons" due to their characteristic color during spring and autumn,
respectively. Rice and tea are two staple food source for the Japanese people. Having them
within such a leisure area as Kōrakuen delivers such a strong message that it is permissible to
relax ourselves once in a while but do remember that, after this, we need to go back working to
feed ourselves, our children, and our descendants for centuries of centuries to come.
Goyōmatsu, as always, is planted as an evergreen ornament to the houses and the garden in
general. The message is clear: circumstances might change but perseverance must preserve.

The Empty Space

Aside from providing ways for incorporating shakkei, the empty space within Kōrakuen is
actually more of a re ection of Zen Buddhism, which is the most largely adhered school of
Buddhism in Japan, and Yōmeigaku, the school of Neo-Confucianism adhered by the Ikeda clan.
Figs. 2, 9 and 10 show how the incorporation of empty space has helped make ways for both
shakkei and wabi-sabi to enter our mind through the ve senses.

The Architectural Elements

The asymmetric nature of natural elements in Kōrakuen is contrasted by the symmetric nature of
its architectural elements. There are three architectural elements that are essential to serve this
function of representing symmetry: (1) the houses, (2) the bridges and (3) the ornaments. The
most profound representative of these elements is none other than Ikeda Tsunamasa's personal
favorite: the Renchi-ken Tea House. The Renchi-ken Tea House is also one of the few structures in
the garden complex that survive the World War II massive bombing. So, it is indeed a great
representative to observe.

The Houses
All houses, with the exception of the Noh stage, within Kōrakuen represent the simplistic
architecture of a tea house. This style of architecture is known as 数寄屋造り (sukiya-zukuri). Fig.
11 captures the Enyō-tei House while Fig. 12 the Renchi-ken Tea House, and the resemblance is
quite clear. This architectural style itself was developed during the Azuchi-Momoyama period
and became widespread during the Edo period, when Kōrakuen building project was started.
The simple architecture allows the sense of symmetry to stand out. The contrast with its
asymmetrically-placed surrounding has strengthened this sense even more. Symmetry becomes
apparent in an asymmetric environment. Luxury becomes sensible in modesty. The light of value
shines through the cracks in an object. It is somewhat strange to nd such contradictive
impressions beautiful but it happens in this garden.
 Fig. 11. Enyō-tei House.

Fig. 12. Renchi-ken Tea House.

The Bridges
The interesting feature of bridges in Kōrakuen is that some of them incorporate linear symmetry
while some others rotational symmetry. An example of linearly symmetric bridges is the bridge
leading to Renchi-ken House (Fig. 13) while an example of rotationally symmetric ones is the
Eisho Bridge (Fig. 14) at Kayō-no-ike.
 Fig. 13. Eisho Bridge.

Fig. 14. Bridge to Renchi-ken Tea House.

The Ornaments
Ornaments highlighted here include stone lanterns and fences. These elements provide a sense
of balance as we walk around the garden because even though their presence is not dominant,
their nature of symmetry helps them stand out a little bit more in an environment dominated by
the asymmetry of nature. Also, they are everywhere, especially the fences. This sense of balance,
under thorough observation, would somehow cast a sense of peace and relief we could hardly
experience elsewhere. Fig. 15 captures the stone lantern and fence around the Renchi-ken.
 Fig. 15. The stone lantern (near, left) and the fence (far, right).

Conclusion
All features of Kōrakuen Garden described above suggest that Kōrakuen Garden is an example
of Kaiyū-shiki-teien or "promenade gardens" which were built during the Edo Era. The Ikeda clan
who built Kōrakuen Garden had given a touch of Yōmeigaku philosophy to this predominantly
Zen-in uenced garden. The intermingling concepts between Zen, Yōmeigaku, and Shinto, such
as unity of mind and action, mind as the source of reality, and wabi-sabi, can be sensed
throughout the visitors' journey within the garden.

References
• The handout from Chen-sensei. Chapter 3: Three Garden Elements and Ornamental Items.
• The pamphlet Okayama Korakuen Garden: Special Scenic Spot.
• http://www.okayama-korakuen.jp/info/index.html
• Hong Kong Institute of Architects. 2012. Visual Arts: Aesthetics of Zen in Japanese Garden
[Teacher Notes]. Faculty of Architecture. minisite.proj.hkedcity.net/hkiakit/
getResources.html?id=3863
• Young, M. et al. 2011. The Art of the Japanese Garden. Tuttle Publishing.