yama
Senior Member
Posts: 124
Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2010 3:10 am
Location: Salem, MA

Briges of Japanese garden

There are diffent shape, material of bridge in Japanese garden.
1) stone bridge
One peice of cut stone ,natunal stone or two peices of flat stones of
cut stones or natunal stone are often used. End of stone bridge alway
have one or two stone or sometime use solid green/evergreen are
used to looks secureing the bridge. plants should not be big,hangs
over ary part of the bridge.
For safty, cut stone surface should not have smooth surface.
Old method was, to pounding with tool called bishan which look like
meat tenderlizer, 2-1/2 inch or so square and have point, 25 to 100,
more points makes surface smooth.
Today, use barner, when stone is heated by high tempreture, small
peice of grinite pop up and make suface of grnite rugh. wen stone is
wet or moss grow on then,stone bridge is slipperly.

2) Do hashi/dobashi
wooden stracture bridge which cover with soil. often this type of
bridge do not have high bridge railing. Hinoki cypress is often use for
it's durability

3) Taikobashi
which is shape of half moon shape. It is not esy to walk on because of
steep angle of wooden floor. In China tere are many canals and small
boats need to able to pass underneath of bridge. Taiko means "Drum"
in Japanese. Good side effect is that,becasue of shape, you have to
walk slowly and give you hight to veiw whole garden insead of walk fist
not viewing the garden carefully.

4) Yatsu hashi
yatsu hashi is often set in large pond, zig zag shaped simple bridge.
post and plank are often Hinoki cypress is used. It is for veiwing iris
water liliy etc. Yatsu means eight in Japanese, number of eight of
chinese charactor.
My mother called from Japan, I have to off internet now.

yama
Senior Member
Posts: 124
Joined: Wed Jun 30, 2010 3:10 am
Location: Salem, MA

Oops, Sorry I made many misspelling again. :oops:

4) Yatsuhashi, (contenue)
pile/posts are used hinoki cypress, or sugi,which burned to make post
last long. locast tree is good chice for Japanese garden in USA for
yatsuhashi constraction.
width of yatsuhashi should be about your shoulder or slightly wider
than your shoulder.

5) Hohju/ giboshi
Wooden bridge often has railing which shape of onion flower on top of railing post
Hohju has relegious meaning which often written in Buddhist sutra such
as Muryoju kyo, Kanmuryoju kyo of pureland Bddudism.
Hohju is grand scale of lighthouse light which briten/shine the world.
Meaning of Gibooshi(Gihohju) is ,Gi ,look like, booshi same meaning as hohju.
Stone lantern, Stupa/pagoda, top of temple building have hohju as well and have same meaning. It may have different design,some have more decoration, other are much simpler.
Japanese garden have great influence of relegions such as Buddhism, Taoism and shinto.

M, Yamakami



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