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Chinese Influence On The Japanese Garden

The Chinese classical garden had a notable influence on the early Japanese garden. The influence of China first reached Japan through Korea before 600 CE. In 607 AD the Japanese crown prince Shotoku sent a diplomatic mission to the Chinese court, which began a cultural exchange lasting for centuries. Hundreds of Japanese scholars were sent to study the Chinese language, political system, and culture. The Japanese Ambassador to China, Ono no Imoko, described the great landscape gardens of the Chinese Emperor to the Japanese court. His reports had a profound influence on the development of Japanese landscape design.

During the Nara period (710-794), when the Japanese capital was located at Nara, and later at Heian, the Japanese Court created large landscape gardens with lakes and pavilions on the Chinese model for aristicrats to promenade and to drift leisurely in small boats, and more intimate gardens for contemplation and religious meditation.

A Japanese monk named Eisai (1141–1215) imported the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism from China to Japan, which led to the creation of a famous and unique Japanese gardening style, the Zen garden, exemplified by the garden of Ryōan-ji. He also brought green tea from China to Japan, originally to keep monks awake during long meditation, giving the basis for the tea ceremony, which became an important ritual in Japanese gardens.

The Japanese garden designer Muso Soseki (1275–1351) created the celebrated Moss Garden (Kokedera) In Kyoto, which included a recreation of the Isles of Eight Immortals, called Horai in Japanese, which were an important feature of many Chinese gardens. During the Kamakura period (1185–1333), and particularly during the Muromachi period (1336–1573) the Japanese garden became more austere than the Chinese garden, following its own aesthetic principles.