Yohaku No Bi

[The Helpful Gardener]

In another thread, Piet recently discussed the principle of yohaku no bi, or the beauty of empty space. This seems to be the hardest concept of JG for Western minds to grasp; we are far more comfortable with Gertrude Jekyll than Muso Soseki.

Gunter Nitschke points out the inherent aspects of of the shiki no himorogi, areas strewn with white pebbles to denote a holy precinct in Shinto. He conjectures that this design feature is simply a reproduction of the riverbank at Ise, which tradition says is where villagers carried the sun down to the Isuzu River (in the form of a freshly cut log) and celebrated the suns crossing of the river, He says,

"Pebbled beaches or pebbled areas in Japanese gardens are more than mere copies of a natural phenomenon, They are the archtypes of the hallowed ground of Shinto theophany."

.

Josiah Conder, the first English speaker to make a detailed study of Japanese Gardening has this to say about flat gardens, set stones, and graveled areas

"...the Guardian Stone occupies the central position in the background, and together with the Cliff Stone and other nameless rocks of contrasting forms, make up a group intended to suggest the mouth of a cascade. Though the garden is a dry one, the idea of the presence of water is kept up by an arrangement of piles froming a basin border, within which large white pebbles are placed(...) It will therefore appear that, even in the type of gardening that permits of neither hills nor water, so essentially are these features considered part of a landscape, that their existence is always suggested."

Another earlier Western observer of Japanese Gardens, Samuel Newscom had this to say in his book Japanese Garden Construction.

"Dry landscapes (...) carried the feeling of of mystery and profundity even further. The symbolic motif of mononchrome painting, and the meditative quality of Zen Buddhism, found another form of expression in in these severel classical, ultimate representations. Although only crystalline sand, stones, white walls, and Moss, were the pigments with which garden pictures were painted, the effects achieved were the greatest ever attained by the landscape architect. To one who has grasped the fundamentally satisfying harmony of Ryuanji, all other products of the gardener's art appear banal."

Yet with all this erudite opinion pointing towards open space, sparse stones, and pared down plantings, we in the West tend toward plant heavy gardens, cluttered with Japanese chotchkes. I still have to remind myself to edit more, and I know better. I believe this to be an inherent flaw of many Japanese gardens, both amateur and professional, and it is a tough habit to break. Like the silent pauses in shakuhachi or samisen playing, or the sense of nothingness that is the sought after goal of meditation, empty space in the garden can accentuate and highlight whatever else we place there. So what is it that makes us so uncomfortable with empty space? Have you used empty space in your garden? Is lawn the modern American version of yohaku no bi? Should it be?

HG

[koiboy01]

Hi Scott,
I think what you are happy with in your own mind,you can only have so much empty space, especially if you are also interested in keeping koi and bonsai, they have to be placed somewhere and in the normal size garden that the majority of us have, we have to compromise and also the main point is that we have to live in the garden unless you have a very large garden and then you can really make a Japanese garden as some people keep saying it should be, as you know I have a small Japanese garden and I am quite happy with what I have,empty space or no empty space.
George.

[applestar]

Have you used empty space in your garden? Is lawn the modern American version of yohaku no bi? Should it be?

I don't think my garden designs are as sophisticated as all that.
Have I "used" empty space intentionally? Most of the time, not as such, I guess. I'll leave an "open space" which happens to be lawn because that's the background=empty canvas. Because putting anything else in its place means extra -- time, labor, cost, etc. In *my* case, the lawn isn't pure grass though. I choose it to be a poly-culture, an ecosystem, and a habitat. I will also admit that it's because I refuse to spread "weed" killing chemical poisons on the piece of land where I live, while I have its stewardship. (Heh, that sounds a little pretentious, doesn't it? -- Don't answer that! ) Of course "empty" space provides "vista" -- visually separating and/or leading your eyes from one grouping to another, and I do try to incorporate that as I introduce new elements in my garden.

I supposed if done intentionally, then a typical American monoculture lawn *could* provide "yohaku no bi" But it's hard for *me* to see the "beauty" in a large expanse of grass with all that it implies. That word "pretentious" might apply more accurately here.... Yet, I suppose I *can* appreciate it as a mono-chrome green expanse, as an artistic, ARTIFICIAL element. But like any such element, it needs to be introduced with considered intent, which sometimes requires *restraint*.

Edited to add: Realized AFTER posting that this thread is in the "Japanese Garden Forum" Sort of changes the perspective a bit, but I guess what I said applies for the most part.

[The Helpful Gardener]

It is clear that our garden spaces are no smaller than many [url=https://bulldog2.redlands.edu/fac/lawry_finsen/japan/images/tsuboniwa2.jpg]tsuboniwa[/url] and the level of restraint, to use AS's word, remains just as stringent there as in any temple garden (I would argue the smaller the space, the more need for restraint). [url=https://www.japansociety.org.uk/images/reviews/courtyard/p039a.jpg]Here's[/url] an example from George's country that fits that description; one plant, one lantern, three stones, some gravel and moss and a nice fence. Everything one needs for a Japanese garden, just less of it. I find this a far more authentic look than overwrought, plant focused gardens...

The Sakuteiki urges us to consider

"When creating a garden, first be aware of the basic concepts."

in the very first line and the second is

" When creating a garden, let the exceptional work of past masters be your guide. Heed the desires of the master of the house, yet heed as well one's own taste."

This is obviously direction to pros from a master, and I feel the salient points remain the prime consideration in good Japanese-style design. George's and AS's point about what we like and what we want to accomplish are included here, to be sure, but the instruction makes it clear that these are secondary to maintaining the traditional look and feel. The next section reads

"Visualize the most famous landscapes of our country an come to understand their most interesting points. Recreate the essence of thoses scenes in the garden, but do so interpretively, not strictly"

Seems to suggest we should use the older gardens as templates and inspiration, adapting them to our garden spaces and lives becomes a secondary, not a primary design point. I point to our consumerist society and the generally aquisitive nature of Western culture as a roadblock to our being "aware of the basic concepts", and a stumbling block the attainment of a truly serene and authentic look for our Japanese inspired gardens. ...

AS, I am glad you weren't aware this was a JG thread; it actually helps to make my point for me. You were looking with your Western glasses on and found the idea I was putting out there somewhat contrived, if I get the jist of what you were saying. You also gave the salient reason for

lawn because that's the background=empty canvas

.I believe that both raked gravel areas and lawn are answers to the same design ideal, but I find lawn to be a Western idea not wholly appropos for th JG.

After the Meiji Edicts and the rush towards Western ideas that attended it, we saw lawns spring up in garden design as the English ideal was taught (by the aforementioned Conder, no doubt). Gardens like [url=https://learn.bowdoin.edu/japanesegardens/gardens/murin/murin-an.html]Murin-an[/url] began to use lawn as a deliberate feature(while the rest of Murin-an is a textbook J-garden, harkening back to the Nara Period gardens, the lawn is a decidedly English addition). The Meiji began the dilution of the JG tradition with additions of a more international flavor, a dilution we eschew everywhere else in the world (in a related note the Brazilian government is now giving Power Point presentations on tribal traditions to secluded Amazonian tribes that have begun to lose their cultures in favor of Coke and truckers caps). WHile some ask why we should still follow the teachings of a thousand year old gardening book, I ask should we not afford this honored tradition the same ranking as any other cultural icon, by trying to follow the signposts of past masters? I believe we should...

As for lawn as "empty space" it certainly is from a biodiverse point of view, but any man-made garden tends to disturb the "natural balance" if you view man as outside of Nature. I believe we do have a place outdoors and should feel comfortable, even at home in our immediate surroundings. That said, lawn tends to be fertilizer, gasoline, and labor intensive (J-gardening is only the latter). With our modern climate issues I think we should minimize lawn in ANY landscape, but especially avoid it in the J-garden as a Western intrusion.

AS's stewardship is a integral human need as far as I can see; a culturally recurrent theme of taking charge of the land by cultivating it. We also have a tendency to impose our specific culture as we adopt others; J-gardening is no exception as the borrowing from the Chinese traditions is well documented, but the move away from geomancy and human contrivances in the landscape shows a decided break from the Chinese model (The Gyon Zukyo, a Buddhist text of around 600 AD, is mentioned in the Sakuteiki, specifically referring to a temple layout from India; another country heard from). It is therefore not surprising that we impose our Western traditions on JGs in the same fashion, but I personally question the value of such amendment in any search to "be aware of the basic concepts" and feel any discussion of the Japanese aesthetic needs to begin here.

Like any design concept this is open to personal interpretation and divergent opinion, and all are welcome here...

HG

[Herb3]

I think there's a lot to be said for the idea that our lawns can have much the same effect as expanses of raked gravel. But not always - I've Photoshopped a view of part of Nanzenji so as to replace the raked gravel with well-kept lawn and I think it looks O.K. (see the picture) but when I tried the same with the raked gravel scene at Ryoanji, it looked (I thought) terrible. Here are the two Nanzenji ones -
https://www.pbase.com/image/114463486

One corner of our lawn was so awkward to mow that I replaced it with a layer of 3/4 inch chipped rock, and I've sometimes wondered whether I should do the same to the entire lawn, but now I've decided not to because I've discovered that keeping fine gravel clean and free from leaves and debris takes - it seems to me - a lot more work (per square yard) than maintaining lawn.

As to using more open space, I agree that when the elements are well arranged, less can certainly be "more" in many senses, including the sense of "more elegant". But at the same time, it seems to me that you can still have a very "Japanese" style of garden without much sign of open space - see, for example these pictures -

[img]https://rubens.anu.edu.au/new/japan.stereo11Gb.0302/kyoto/hosenin/right/41R.JPG[/img]

[img]https://rubens.anu.edu.au/new/japan.stereo11Gb.0302/kyoto/taiozoin/right/12R.JPG[/img]

[img]https://rubens.anu.edu.au/new/japan.stereo11Gb.0302/kyoto/tofukuji1/bridge_and_garden/right/84R.JPG[/img]

[Piet Patings]

that you can still have a very "Japanese" style of garden without much sign of open space

I think this type of discussion is why, on my website I have extensively elaborated on typification of Japanese gardens. Most of the discussions, confusion and agreement or disagreement I have seen stem from lack of just that.
The Archetypes (e.g. from Tokyo Agricultural University see [url]https://www.zen-garden.org/html/page_Approach.htm#METHOD[/url]) can help here.
Yohaku No Bi, in the sense of "open space" but also about leaving things out, is also used to leave space for interpretation by (and manipulation of) the beholder. However this is very much related to the so called "Zen Garden" with which we mostly refer to the Karesansui garden for meditation purposes (13th C and later). Where Ryoanji is the most "extreme" or abstract of its (arche)type and e.g. Tsubo-niwa often use the latter archetype but we can also see combinations very often with tea garden elements.
Hence it is important to differentiate between the(arche)types, e.g. A Zen garden or a Tea garden, Paradise or Leisure (mostly with real ponds) are very different. Although often seen at one compound or complex they are very different, yet all Japanese Gardens.
Meaning that it is not enough to talk about "a Japanese Garden", although all the archetypes have characteristics in common often they have very unique properties.

With regard to Herb3's Nanzenji mock-up, although it is (again) well done, and one may like it or not. For me it no longer deserves the typification Zen garden or Karesansui garden and pobably not even Japanese garden..... more like a Japanese Inspired garden or a Garden with Japanese elements etc.
Although it is still "dry" the lawn by definition does not represent water. The gravel represents water, Ocean or Cosmic Ocean, a river a lake or whatever. Sand or gravel, stone or pebbles are traditionally used to represent this in a Japanese garden, and nothing else, hence my point.

[The Helpful Gardener]

Thank you for the images Herb. They certainly cast a new light on the preceedings. I do note some gravelled areas in that second image, and the plant material is all severely restrained through pruning in these gardens. I think we need to recognize Piet's excellent point that we must discuss the particulars of each style rather than a collective whole. All of the gardens Herb posted are hill and pond gardens. Karesansui seems relegated to hira niwa; often tsubo-niwa and not surprisingly, temple courtyards. But a glance at the [url=https://www.planetware.com/I/photo/kyoto-imperial-palace-kyoto-jpn515.jpg]Imperial Courtyards[/url], traditionally devoid of any ornamentation ([url=https://www.taleofgenji.org/images/imperial_palace_courtyard.jpg]here's another[/url]), we see a deeper intent in these gravelled areas, a spiritual sanitation backed by Shinto traditions and customs. Here is a [url=https://www.japan-I.jp/explorejapan/kinki/kyoto/kyotoarea/d8jk7l000001lzt2-img/d8jk7l000001lztl.jpg]Shinto shrine showing the piles of gravel[/url], called tatesuna, that are raked out every few years in a purification ceremony; smaller versions are also found at the Imperial Courtyards... Here is [url=https://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://u1.ipernity.com/1/79/51/217951.6f085aeb.560.jpg&imgrefurl=https://ojisanjake.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html&usg=__vhStqORc74i6LhFDNM8tve-TBds=&h=367&w=560&sz=117&hl=en&start=50&tbnid=EvXUEEizQmTNMM:&tbnh=87&tbnw=133&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgravelled%2Bareas%2BSHinto%2BShrines%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D36]another example[/url]of the same... the gravel serves another purpose beyond just an empty garden feature. It is also notable that Nanzen-ji was an Imperial Villa before it was a sub-temple...

This is a distinctly Japanese adaptation not much found in Chinese gardens. It has a distinctly Shinto beginning, but the Zen connection through the principle of [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mu_(negative)]Mu[/url], or nothingness, embraces this open void space as meditative; after all enlightenment is characterized as "empty mind" in many Zen schools, Soto-shu in particular. I don't think the grass has that same sense of nothingness (which is why I suspect our busy little Western minds can accept the turf more easily than we do gravel).

Herb's point on maintenance is certainly valid as to whether or not the karesansui style suits our lifestyles, but Piet raises the the other side of the "beauty of extra white";

in the sense of "open space" but also about leaving things out

. It is this sense of refining that prompted my post rather than a simple discussion of gravel. Herbs hill and pond gardens are not empty, but certainly restrained by severe pruning, and there is ample space between shrubs to allow for smooth visual flow. No matter the style, one gets a better result from a disciplined restraint of materials, and I feel the inclusion of negative space adds to that sense of depth and mystery that typifies J-gardens... maintenence is function, but this topic falls more to form in my mind... that ancient argument of form over function rears it's head again...

Very stimulating discussion... LOTS to think on...

HG

[applestar]

Ahh. I was going to keep out and just lurk after embarrassing myself earlier, but here I go again with the outsider point of view/monkey wrench.

It occurs to me that the labor intensive, huge expanse of gravel used to be maintained by teams of gardeners or monks/apprentices in the temple/imperial palace gardens in Japan, just as much as the huge expanse of pristine lawn were, especially prior to the chemical warfare and machines, by teams of gardeners/apprentices for the European nobility.

It seems to me that, in down sizing, a Tsubo garden isn't only a reflection of the size of one's property in terms of land, but of wealth in terms of labor force at one's command. On the other hand, it's also about a Personal or Private garden -- a garden that can be called one's own -- and a reflection of the amount of time one can dedicate to it. (Maybe I'm wrong, but I think that at one time, Japanese nobility had them in the inner sanctum courtyards by their sleeping rooms, etc.)

I've heard that some people use gas powered leaf blowers to "sweep" the gravel areas. But that REALLY defeats the spirit of a Japanese Garden, doesn't it? Piet, I just LOVED the part of your video of you raking the gravel in your garden. There was such a sense of JOY

[Piet Patings]

Regarding maintenance I can say that in my Tsubo-en case a lawn would have required more effort and different labor.
More in that it would be a (bi)weekly job of an hour or so. Different very much in the frequency of the work.

Keeping the gravel clean involves, like in a lawn, removing weeds on a regular basis. Tidy-up is a different story and very much depends on how open the garden is, how many trees there are in it and where these are located.
In the instructions I pay special attention to (not) placing (to many) trees (too) close to the gravel area. And only let it canopy in exceptional cases. This offers a nice view but requires extra (cleaning) work, etc....

In Tsubo-en I apply patterns in the gravel only on a few places.
Reason for that is the maintainability. Also one of my "pests" are cats in the garden, category: "uninvited visitors".
There are a number of reasons I do not very much like to see them in the garden. Regarding gravel the footprints left in the gravel take away every hint of perfection. We won't mention the (piles of) droppings and the spraying (my karikomi .... ahhhhhhhh).I have a couple of them visiting daily.
Annual things to do can be compared with the returning activities you need to perform to maintain a quality a lawn. For sure keeping the gravel area's in condition is a laborious task.

It seems to me that, in down sizing, a Tsubo garden isn't only a reflection of the size of one's property in terms of land, but of wealth in terms of labor force at one's command.

Mirei Shigemori [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirei_Shigemori[/url] introduced a lot of interesting concepts and material in the Japanese garden. In particular in the karesansui garden.
Even using (colored) concrete and cement. One of his gardens, a tea garden "Tenrai-an" (1969) is truly exceptional in that
it uses concrete both as Ginshanada (gravel area's) and Tsukiyama (land and hillocks) with very few plants.
This garden was paid by Shigimori himself because the town of Kayocho "did not have the money to pay for all the changes".
Let alone to pay for the required maintenance to keep it in good condition.
Although he did not state that with so many words I very much think that this was a major reason to use these new materials in otherwise traditional Japanese Tea gardens.

AS, "The making of" was an interesting experience.
A crew of four people worked for a full day. I was asked to act as figurante and doing some raking but at the end of the day I have been raking around most of the day.
The garden was in tip top condition and even the wheather was great (no so the day before nor the day after). So this was a pleasure indeed.
As a side-effect I would get a Tsubo-en version of the video-clip and that is what you saw.... It was a joy to work with these people who saw the garden for the first time. It also was a joy to see the (or actually one of) the end result(s).

[The Helpful Gardener]

And therein lies the contradiction in low maintenance/ JG. The keeping of the garden is an integral part of the experience; as we all well know, a garden unkept is quickly just a bad bit of Nature. It is the act of gardening that makes a garden rather than simply a design concept...

Actually AS, the tsubo-niwa is a tradition of the merchant class and was generally self-maintained, and very often self-designed and installed. The function of the tsubo is basically that of the courtyard in the Roman villa; an air-conditioning feature first and an aesthetic point second (not all tsubo are so decorated). It was the pride and hard work of the owner that transformed and preserved these little gems... so it was not just nobility but middle class folk using courtyards as cooling devices...

The man who taught me a great deal of what I know about JG spent an hour or two in his garden every morning, sometimes much more, rising very early to make it fit his schedule if need be. Raking, watering, pruning and pinching were his job and his hobby, and I was given tasks in his garden only after long instruction and with stringent oversight. Val worked his garden to own it, and felt he owed it to his garden to do that. A Japanese style garden is much like getting a puppy, if you can't water and feed it every day and clean up after it, then you should probably go for a less maintenance intense garden.

That said, I do not feel I spend an inordinate amount of time in mine (which is probably more plant intensive than I have been preaching ); I spend far more time with the veggies this time of year. I find the maintenance cycle to be acceptable; it is not viewing-ready at all times, but what garden is? My gravel area (maybe six by eight) gets weeded on occasion and raked only for guests; I have kept my garden to a maintainable size (sort of a tsubo-niwa minus the courtyard...)

Mine is not as large as Piets, or as formally styled; that would necessitate the kind of maintenance cycles we see Piet involved in. I have gone for an informal look ([url=https://www.jgarden.org/glossary.asp?TERM=shingyoso]So[/url]) to attain a lower maintenance garden. Piet has gone for the look of a classical temple garden, a formal style (Shin), and somewhere in between lies semi-formal (Gyo). We find this originally in calligraphy, but it quickly became a set of descriptors for everything from gardening to archery. While Piet is correct in pointing out that we need to determine archtype and specific style, I think the key point in maintenance is not style but formality (although as AS points out, size is not an inconsequential factor, not by a long shot).

The stylings I refer to are definitely the older forms of JG, [url=https://www.gardenvisit.com/blog/2008/11/18/mirei-shigemori-and-modern-japanese-garden-design/]newer work[/url]...

[img]https://I.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/4777974/114246-main_Full.jpg[/img]

...shows decidedly Western influences. I do not think we can easily leave our Western sides out of the design or resulting garden easily, and the main question behind this thread is should we? We cannot make Japanese gardens unless we live in Japan, we can simply make gardens in the Japanese style. The real question is how closely do we cleave to the traditional edicts in our attempt to capture the style? And how much effort are we willing to apply to that end?

The other aspect here is the wabi/sabi discussion; do we spend money on a lot of cheaper but less authentic features, or an considerably fewer but more aesthetically pleasing items? Do we simply screw together our teahouse or [url=https://www.architecturelist.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/63-pavilion.jpg]mortice, tenon and pin our joints in a Japanese style[/url]? One is certainly easier than the other, but the latter gives a far more authentic feel, neh? We make these decisions for ourselves and our gardens follow suit; I feel the finer garden is worth the extra effort...

P.S. I see Piet and I were typing furiously at the same time; funny that we both got to Shigemori as example of modern adaptation. Great minds think alike... .

I spent a day filming garden segments last year and have done it before, Piet, and while the end result is a short, easily viewed and enjoyable result for the viewer, I understand the suffering of the third and fourth take. But at least you have such beautiful surroundings for it...

HG