TOP: The more formal northern area of our garden,
with pond and wisteria arbor. A fishing village with
harbor lantern is on the right, and an azumaya shelter
is in the distance. (Photo by Aurora Santiago)
BOTTOM: The teahouse and its inner garden, or roji.
With the green simplicity of its moss and other plantings,
the roji exemplifies Jūki Iida’s naturalistic designs.
(Photo by Aurora Santiago)
styles—ponds, streams, waterfalls, islands,
lanterns, stepping-stones, bridges, teahouses
and other structures. It has been described
as “a sequential garden whose almost limitless
succession of views was revealed through
movement…like a great drama whose scenes
unfolded only through time.” 1
It has also been described as a kind of
“mute music, with its own special rhythms and
variations.” 2
OUR SEATTLE JAPANESE GARDEN
Our garden’s design was a gift from the
Tokyo Metropolitan Green Spaces Division.
Renowned landscape architect Jūki Iida was
chosen to supervise its construction. In all,
seven Japanese designers—including Iida and
Kiyoshi Inoshita, who produced the original
design concept—collaborated to develop
detailed plans. Charged with developing an
authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan,
they described their design as having been
influenced by several notable Japanese stroll
gardens—including the earliest one extant,
Katsura Imperial Villa (Katsura Rikyu).
Iida’s contribution to the design was the
naturalistic and informal southern section of
the Garden, especially the wooded mountain
area with its waterfall, cascade, and plantings
of mixed deciduous and evergreen
trees. The Garden’s more formal northern
area, including the fishing village and wisteria
arbor, was likely designed by Inoshita.
The most powerful design device used
in stroll gardens is arguably the garden path,
which winds past various landscape elements
and vistas. In the Seattle Japanese Garden,
we journey through the varied landscapes of
Japan—mountains, forests, waterfalls, rivers,
islands and the sea. Our experience is shaped
by the aesthetic principle of mie gakure (usually
translated as “hide and reveal”), which ensures
that we experience the garden sequentially rather
than all at once. Along the way, we encounter the
water, stones, plants, animals and structures
common to many Japanese garden styles. The
elements and viewpoints are concealed and then
gradually revealed.
VARIED LANDSCAPES OF OUR GARDEN
As we pass through the Garden’s southern courtyard
and entry gate, we enter an area of mixed
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