Learn Japanese - Kyoto Japanese Gardens - Language School for beginners">Learn Japanese - Kyoto Japanese Gardens - Language School for beginners

:: WEEK FOUR | JAPANESE LANGUAGE COURSE FOR BEGINNERS in London - with Guest Speaker: "Kyoto and Japanese Gardens"

Week Four Japanese Language Element:
On successful completion of the class, students will be able to:

Ask another person when a particular event is taking place, where and for how long
Ask when a shop closes and if they are open on a particular day
Be able to say the days of the week, Monday - Sunday
Understand the Hiragana T-Line
Be able to count from one to forty without hesitation!

To enrol for just this class or the entire course please click here:

Week Four Japanese Cultural Element > Kyoto and Japanese Gardens <
Although ravaged by fires, wars, and earthquakes during its eleven centuries as the imperial capital, (old capital of Japan) Kyoto was spared from bombs during World War 2. With its 2000 Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, as well as palaces, gardens and architecture intact, it is one of the best preserved cities in Japan. Among the most famous temples in Japan are Kiyomizu-dera, a magnificent wooden temple supported by pillars off the slope of a mountain; Kinkaku-ji, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion; Ginkaku-ji, the Temple of the Silver Pavilion; and Ryōan-ji, famous for its rock garden. The Heian Jingū is a Shinto shrine, built in 1895, celebrating the Imperial family and commemorating the first and last emperors to reside in Kyoto. Three special sites have connections to the imperial family: the Kyoto Gyoen area including the Kyoto Imperial Palace and Sento Imperial Palace, homes of the Emperors of Japan for many centuries; Katsura Imperial Villa, one of the nation's finest architectural treasures; and Shugaku-in Imperial Villa, one of its best Japanese gardens.

Japanese Gardens
During the Asuka period (538-710), gardens were supposed to express Buddhism and Taoism through replicating the mountainous regions in China and Japan.

During the Heian period (794-1185), gardens shifted from solely representing religious beliefs to becoming places for ceremonies, amusement, and contemplation. Japanese gardens began to surround mansions that had a style known as "shinden-zukuri." In this style, the garden was located at the front of a building, also known as the south side in Japan. As part of the garden style, there was water flowing through artificial passages that eventually spilled into ponds with little islands in them. Very few of these gardens have survived to this day, and therefore, are certainly a rarity in modern history. Despite the lack of modern day examples there is literature that describes how people of this era formulated this garden style movement. Later in this period, pure-land-style gardens became popular through the Pure Land Buddhism influence, and these gardens imitated the Paradise in the Western Pureland as a result. During this shift in style, the Japanese also began to model their gardens and homes after the Amitabha hall style instead of the shinden style.

In the Kamakura and Muromachi periods (1185-1573), a great many gardens were created during these two time periods due to improved garden techniques and the development of Syoinzukuri style. Zen beliefs were also flourishing at this time and had great influences over garden techniques and purposes. Another factor that allowed gardens to flourish stems from the fact that the shoguns simply enjoyed gardens. Dry landscape style also emerged during this time . A notable gardener who appeared during these periods is Soseki Muso: He made Saihoji Temple (Kyoto), Tenruji Temple (Kyoto), and Zuizenji Temple (Kamakura) gardens.

After the Muromachi Period, Japanese tea ceremonies became an intricate part of Japanese culture. Sen no Rikyu (1517-1591) created the traditional style of a tea house where there was usually a roji ("dewy path") leading to the house. Besides the tea houses, gardens constructed in the Edo period (1603-1868) reflected the tastes and style of each individual shogun ruler. Instead of being a religious symbol, gardens shifted to being a symbol of a shogun's prestige and power (Miller). These tea house styled houses and gardens can be seen in Koishikawa Korakuen (Tokyo), Kenrokuen (Kanazawa), Korakuen (Okayama), Ritsurin Park (Takamsatsu), and Suizenji Park (Kumamoto).

In the Meiji period following the modernization of Japan, famous traditional gardens were owned by businessmen and politicians. Some of these extensive gardens are open to public viewing in Murinan (Kyoto) and Chinzanso (Tokyo). Famous gardeners of this period include 7th generation Jihe Ogawa, known as Ueji, and innovative dry landscape garden designer Mirei Shigemori.