Painting Gardens

Every step you take in the gardens of Japan will make you pause for a moment and take a fresh look at the things and nature around you.

If Sherlock Holmes had the opportunity to be born on the islands of Japan, then his famous “method of deduction” would surely find branches in beautiful landscapes, although, in this case, deduction might not be, as, indeed, the detective himself, an adept of his professional activity.
So what are these amazing corners of nature? I think it is worth getting to know them better, because it is difficult to resist such beauty and living philosophy in one person.
First, let’s look at nature through the eyes of the Japanese, and then turn to specific examples. As you know, the inhabitants of Japan perceive the structure of the universe with a special Eastern taste, which, most likely, is understandable to the European man of the capitalist formation, but at the same time inaccessible.
First of all, it should be said that the Japanese do not primitive nature to the level of a necessary resource for life, they believe in it, which goes back to Shinto, endow it with kami spirits and honor them.

But if we began to talk about religion, it is impossible not to say that, in addition to Shinto, such religions as Taoism and Buddhism played a significant role in the formation of garden art, and the latter drew attention to nature not arbitrarily. As you know, Buddhism came to Japan from China, but there he was not a connoisseur of nature, and in Japan acquired this important quality.

Speaking of Japanese gardens, do not be mistaken about the fact that this is an area with chaos-planted plants. Such a garden represents the harmony of the concisely explained world of nature, existing due to certain principles that organize space.
Hama Rikyu Garden, one of the most beautiful gardens in Tokyo, for example, follows such principles.

It is now appropriate to name these principles. Mandatory is the presence in the garden of two elements, stone and water, symbolizing a different and fervent beginning; following naturalness; asymmetric composition; minimalism. The mentality of the European has already managed to attribute to the latter the adjective “schizophrenic”. But the assertion or refutation of schizophrenic minimalism depends, most likely, on the mental state, because structuredness does not scare everyone.
Now let’s turn to the specifics and note that in Japan there is a sufficient number of garden paintings. This hyphen is not accidental here, because each corner of the garden is its own idea, beauty, so there is an opportunity to separate it and enclose it in a picture, well, who likes to perceive it more. But do not think that this diversity can be comprehended by using one example, because each garden is unique in its own way.

If you have the opportunity to visit Japan, do not forget to take a walk through such gardens as Konsikawa Korakuen, Kairakuen, Renji, Saihoji and the garden of the Imperial Villa Katsura. I don't know if it'll be euphoric. But the first lines of this essay are true.

Polina Krasikova