Architecture in Japanese Gardens Research Paper

Architecture in Japanese Gardens - Research Paper Example Gardening has been an important cultural, intellectual, and spiritual pursuit in Japan for almost 1300 years in various ways and to various people. Japanese gardens also show the influence that the Chinese culture had on the Japanese, as well as how Japan took that culture and changed it in subtle ways to make it its own. The philosophical ideas of Zen Buddhism also played a large role in the development of these important cultural objects and practices. Chesshire splits the history of gardening into Japan into six broad periods, each of which takes its title from important Japanese cities at the time. The first of these is the Nara period of the 8th century, where gardens that were â€Å"almost certainly used for ceremonial purposes† and â€Å"were quite similar to those that were constructed in China† were created in Nara, which was one of the ancient capitals of Japan. The idea of architecture is one that is unavoidably mixed with the history of Japanese Gardens. Regardless of what the effect of the garden is, there is no doubt that those who wish to create one will have to use not only plants and water, but also rocks, bridges, and even sometimes an entire building. Moreover, since the gardens can be built as a part of a house in and of itself, it can sometimes be even more important to have a good idea of basic architectural principles. In fact, it is arguably this sort of mixing of the manmade with the natural that is the defining idea of the Japanese garden.