Joseph Yamada on Design: A “Real” Japanese Garden?
A Japanese garden is more that it seems.
Interviewed by Charles A. Birnbaum, July 2011.
For more information about Joseph Yamada: http://tclf.org/pioneer/joseph-y-yamada
Great lectures, very interesting, and fascinating humble person. It's not necessarily true, however, that you need someone from Japan to create an authentic Japanese garden: of course, depending on its size and complexity. There are many types and styles of Japanese gardens, which continue to evolve and vary today. It was never a stagnant art form. Although some professional Japanese gardeners might like to make it sound extremely esoteric and secretive, to protect and elevate their legacy, it is not simple or easy but can be done by an experienced and well studied designer. Japanese flora fauna varies throughout the Japanese isles. Using some local materials, as appropriate to the design, can still qualify a garden as a Japanese garden: as long as it is grounded well enough in Japanese garden principles.
He's right, revisionists are everywhere. Maintaining a true view has been diluted by the ham-fisted brutes who believe in nothing. Want a good authentic restaurant? Look at the clientele. Are they elderly people of that particular ethnicity? So is it with authentic atmosphere good garden design creates. Old Master designers have a very developed sense from decades of experience.
2 Comments
Great lectures, very interesting, and fascinating humble person. It's not necessarily true, however, that you need someone from Japan to create an authentic Japanese garden: of course, depending on its size and complexity. There are many types and styles of Japanese gardens, which continue to evolve and vary today. It was never a stagnant art form. Although some professional Japanese gardeners might like to make it sound extremely esoteric and secretive, to protect and elevate their legacy, it is not simple or easy but can be done by an experienced and well studied designer. Japanese flora fauna varies throughout the Japanese isles. Using some local materials, as appropriate to the design, can still qualify a garden as a Japanese garden: as long as it is grounded well enough in Japanese garden principles.
He's right, revisionists are everywhere.
Maintaining a true view has been diluted by the ham-fisted brutes who believe in nothing. Want a good authentic restaurant? Look at the clientele. Are they elderly people of that particular ethnicity? So is it with authentic atmosphere good garden design creates. Old Master designers have a very developed sense from decades of experience.