The Wonders of Japanese Architecture & the Japanese Garden
Japan, approximately 75% of which is covered withmountains and hilly areas, has long been blessed withextensive forest resources. With these geographicalconditions, our forefathers formed a wood culture
unparalleled in the world, which has been passed down overthe centuries and is epitomized by wooden architecture. It is
no exaggeration to say that the term 'wooden architecture' issynonymous with 'Japanese architecture'. Wood aboundswith vitality, and the pliancy of wood makes it ideally suited
to the climate of Japan, where the degree of dryness andhumidity differs widely with the season. It is perhaps out ofnecessity that the Japanese have relied largely on the use ofwood for buildings, tools and crafts.
Japanese architecture dates back to the 6th Century when
Buddhism was first introduced into Japan from the continento sh‐o ' (master artisans), whoof Asia. Architects called 'K‐
came to Japan via the same route as Buddhism, undertook
the construction of temples based on Chinese-style woodenarchitectural techniques. Timberwork forms the basic
structure, and the wooden architecture developed with thepassage of time, giving rise to diverse new styles such as
Sukiya-zukuri, and the traditional techniques of elaborate
precision and the formal beauty of Japanese architecture
continued to mature. Eventually, such Japanese architectural
styles also became widely used for the construction ofordinary residences, yet always at the pinnacle and serving
as the model throughout all eras were the shrines andtemples of Kyoto and Nara, some of which are registered as
World Heritages, the grand mansions of the Imperial family,
aristocrats, local ruling families, samurai families and longstanding families, and also the castles of the feudal lords. Inthe case of shrines and temples, the construction works were
undertaken by 'Miya-daiku' (carpenters trained in the ancientart of Japanese shrine and temple carpentry) who possessed
the ultimate techniques of Japanese architecture. As theyears rolled by, the traditional skills of the Miya-daiku wereconveyed like river water flowing downstream, and came to
be increasingly adopted in the construction of ordinary
residences.
Beginning with the Horyu-ji Temple, which is the oldest
wooden surviving building anywhere in the world,
Japan still has many wooden structures dating backmore than 1,000 years. This in itself clearly demonstrates

the superiority of wooden architecture, able to withstand the many earthquakes that strike Japan. Naturally, techniques of Japanese architecture are extensively incorporated in the buildings of Japanese ryokans, too.
In recent years, a fusion between traditional Japanesearchitecture and modern architecture has been taking
place, and ryokans now have highly reliable disaster and fire
prevention systems, have installed the latest facilities
including air-conditioning, and have steadily been makingrefurbishments to create a more barrier-free environment.
Quite a few ryokans have been pursuing a new form ofJapanese architecture of high perfection, having both
functional beauty and pleasant dwelling conditions. Pleaseobserve and enjoy the superior quality of the ryokan also as
a piece of hardware.
The Japanese garden, which is another fixed featureof the Japanese ryokan, is not something totally
independent from Japanese architecture; rather, thetwo are deeply intertwined in a harmonious unison.
It is believed that the origins of the Japanese garden
lie in the deification and worship of natural rocks
exposed on mountain sides and of artificially arranged
stones, way back in the remote past. The art oflandscape gardening, which attempted to intentionallyexpress a religious view of the world based on somekind of concept, first emerged in the Asuka Period(592-710). Here again, similar to the architecturaltechniques, motifs based on the culture as well as
religious and philosophical ideas introduced from theContinent gave birth to the Japanese garden, which
can be described as a spatial art unique to Japan thatwas to be systematized in later years.
In the Heian Period (794-1191), the aristocrats' mansions,which were built in the so-called 'Shinden-zukuri'
style, had gardens where water flowed from theyarimizu (a shallow, curving garden stream) into apond which had a nakajima (small island floating inthe center), and parties such as kyokusui (literally,'meandering stream' party) were held in these gardens.
Scenes of such parties are depicted in 'Genji Monogatari'('The Tale of the Genji'). In the latter half of the HeianPeriod, landscaping techniques such as jiwari(allotment of land), ishigumi (stone arrangements),
creating waterfalls and yarimizu streams, andshokusai (planting of plants and trees) were compiled
into a book of secrets entitled 'Sakuteiki' ('The Art ofDesigning a Garden'), and the J‐o do-shiki garden
designed in the image of the Buddhist-style paradise
known as 'The Pure Land of Bliss' ( Gokuraku-J‐o do )became immensely popular. In the Muromachi Period(1333-1573), landscaping techniques improved, andas successive Shoguns were fond of beautifully
designed gardens, many fine gardens were producedduring this era. Furthermore, there spread thekaresansui (dry landscape) style in which flowing
water such as ponds and streams were depicted byarranging stones without actually using water, andthe chashitsu teahouse and roji (a pathway leading to ateahouse in a garden) were introduced into the gardens
under the influence of Sad‐o (the art of tea ceremony).
In the Edo Period(1603-1867), many kaiy‐u -shiki teien(wet gardens with promenades) were built, and oncein the Modern Age from the Meiji Period onward, thegardens owned by zaibatsu (financial cliques),
politicians, families of old standing, and reputablefamilies became well-known, and quite a number ofthese gardens were later turned into parks open tothe general public.
It is an indisputable fact that the Japanese garden,
in concert with Japanese architecture, owed muchof its development to temples and shrines, to thoseholding power and to the wealthy of each era. Suchbeauty of the Japanese garden can be fully
appreciated today in the gardens of Japaneseryokans. You will surely be captivated by theseworks of three-dimensional art; the scenes of allfour seasons are conceptually created with anunderlying sense of awe towards nature, and thegardens take on diverse expressions produced by
the dexterous arrangement of nakajima islands,rocks, trees, plants and flowers centered aroundthe tsukiyama (artificial miniature hills) and ponds
utilizing the undulations of the land.

和と洋が混在する現代の旅館
A contemporary ryokan with a harmonious
blend of Japanese and Western elements.

モダンな格子の障子
A sh‐o ji (sliding paper screen)with a modern latticework.

茶室に続く飛び石の露地

客室と日本庭園

A roji path with stepping stones
leading to the teahouse.

A guestroom and a Japanese garden.

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