Chinese and Japanese Gardens - the Philosophy of Design - Research Paper Example

East Asian Aesthetics - Comparative Philosophical Analysis of Design Japan and China are two of the most influential countries that are able to formulate an intrinsic aesthetic standard that is uniquely Asian in their own right. China, being one of the ancient civilizations that bloomed in the Asian Mainland is somehow able to exert its power as a progressive one that has been able to influence the artistic convention of Japan. However, there is still a recorded matter in history that the closure of Japan from foreign influences helped them develop their own paradigms when it comes to philosophy and art. Comparatively, architectural designs play an intrinsic role in determining the nature of representation of art in the respective countries. At the same time, the incorporation of a philosophical framework as a guide in formulating designs played a very vital and crucial role in architectural design. Japanese culture relatively varies since it has gotten most of its influence from the Chinese culture through direct contact and assertions from the Korean Peninsula and the incursions of Buddhism as a new philosophical and religious thought which came from India and influenced China 1. Buddhism became Zen Buddhism as a reading to the Chan in Japanese language is Zen which greatly influenced Japanese aesthetic convention through an abstract representation of reality when it comes to arts and usage of sand and stone in formulating a design in architecture especially with gardening as it played a crucial role in practicing Zen Buddhism in Japan 1. The nature of the use of sands and rocks in Zen Buddhist structure provides a condition of simplicity as highlighted by Cali. There is an apparent intrinsic relationship between the architectural concept and the philosophical thought. The nothingness highlighted in Zen Buddhism to achieve Enlightenment is represented in the use of rocks and sands as an indication of the philosophical practice 1. By implementing a careful synthetic analysis, the rocks can be presumed to have not much of a use but it has a purpose. The use of sands and stones in the garden designs of the Japanese is highly reflective of the Zen Buddhist practices 1. The UCLA Garden is one the modern examples of the use of Zen Buddhist philosophy that shows a resemblance to the classical garden in Japan in Kyoto; the Ichida Estate 2. There is also the presence of bamboos carefully designed in an intrinsic manner called the Katsura Type 2. The used of Bamboo in the Garden style of Japanese culture provides a very natural approach in formulation of design 2. This natural condition in architecture is very vital to the philosophy of Zen that has a premium on having a harmonious form of living with nature 1. The gardens in Japan, due to the strong influence of Zen Buddhism, are constructed not just by the feudal lords present in the course of history but also played a vital role in the tea ceremony practices of Zen, the meditation called Zazen and the assertion of aristocracy in Japanese culture 7. This has shown that the religion, in this case, has not just been used to highlight the dominance of the philosophy in the Japanese society but also an incorporation of the different people in society ranging from the feudal lords, ordinary men, monks, and aristocrats. This provides a very inclusive approach on architecture which shows that there is no exclusivity but inclusivity. On the other, how is the Chinese Architectural concept differs from the Japanese architecture that has a Zen Buddhism approach incorporated onto it? Deliberately, the difference lies on the working philosophy that serves as a guide in the formulation of aesthetical design. If Zen Buddhism works for the Japanese ones, the Taoism works for the Chinese. Taoism has become their guiding philosophy in terms of design and Garden architectural concepts. Taoism is after finding inner peace and tranquillity and a complementary relation of things as seen in the yin yang that have been a prime symbol and identification of the Taoist philosophical ideology 3. Relatively, there is an implication of seeking satisfaction yet maintaining a balance and harmonious relationship with nature. There is an inherent relation that nature provides an avenue for self-gratification that immeasurable and commensurate. This is a very intricate nature of Taoism that nature provides a very reasonable condition for the development intrinsic humanist conditions 3. What seems to be technicalities involved with the construction of the architectural concepts that is grounded with a moralistic philosophy like Taoism? In viewing the Chinese Garden at Huttington Library, there is a resemblance in the classical garden concept of the Chinese when this contemporary representation is viewed 5. The very natural condition of this architectural convention highlights the very nature of Chinese people of placing a very important consideration with nature 5. However, in the classical condition of Chinese garden Architecture, the usage of garden architecture is based on the very capability of the emperor to call on for the use of such design 3. Given this scenario, the use of such design is very limited yet the conventions of the Chinese architectural design is now used widespread in the modern times which already broke away from the notion of highly limited use. The design of the Chinese Gardens is related with nature since bamboos are used, water as pond source and incorporation with the natural scenery. These are the conventions of the Chinese garden architecture. It is indeed reflective of the Taoist ideology of having a harmonious living with nature as satisfying factor in fulfilling intrinsic human conditions 8. Synthetically, this harmonious nature of architecture is very important with the Chinese conceptual design. In the case of Keswick, she even pointed out another crucial role of the Chinese Gardens: its composition being part of the Courtyard 4. In this case, Keswick strongly supported the assumption that the common use of Chinese Gardens is found in the imperial palaces of certain dynasties. Hypothetically, there appears to be a possible connection between the practices in the justice system, the teachings of the Taoist Philosophy and architectural concept. How is this possible? Analytically, the aesthetic standards of architecture in the gardens highlight the intricate notion of the Taoist philosophy which is about harmony, satisfaction, and one with nature. This prescribed condition of the architecture reflects a considerate nature in the imperial court of carefully deliberating a scenario wherein justice is needed. Implicitly, the need for a human to have satisfying living conditions in the imperial court is somehow feasible given that the architectural design evokes the philosophical thought. On the other hand, there is also a possibility that the architectural edifice is just a matter of aesthetic conventions. This could be possible as well since China has an advanced culture during its time and the way the modern people used it is to showcase the primacy of their culture and the uniqueness of the aesthetic conventions present in their society. Another artistic convention on Chinese Architecture is the Classical Garden of Suzhou. This architectural masterpiece of the Chinese antiquity is a proof of great architectural conventions formulated during those times 5. The very intrinsic nature of the Garden of Suzhou is an Urban Forest basically located in the heart of the city6. This property of the temple made it one of the UNESCO Heritage sites since is splendour is indeed remarkable. This architectural masterpiece is able to abolish the line between urban and rural through incorporating nature with it 6. This further elaborates the intrinsic nature of the Taoist philosophy in architecture. In totality, Chinese architecture has made nature its playground and enabled itself to complement with it as the Taoist Yin Yang asserts. After highlighting and showcasing the differences that arises with the Chinese and Japanese Architecture, what seems to be the commonalities of the Chinese and Japanese Architectural design? Chinese Architectural design is relatively problematic as well despite of its intricacies. For Zhou, there is an inherent difficulty in reading and translating the outlook and perception of people, particularly in the West, in appreciating the Chinese culture since the linguistic and cultural practices becomes barriers for the potential discovery of the secrets of the architectural masterpiece 10. Given the assertion by Zhou about the difficulty in reading the intricate properties of Chinese Architecture, the Japanese Architecture is relatively on the same spectrum of the problem 9. The commonality between the two Asian philosophies is the importance of nature in relegating humanistic conditions which are vital to living and development. This commonality has been exploited in the presence of the natural elements in rendering a unique architectural concept which is considered to be highly Asian and comparable to that of the western conventions when it comes to architecture. The intricacies of these philosophies guided the development of architectural design intended to complement with nature as present in Taoism and a harmonious meditative environment crucial in Enlightenment in Zen Buddhism. As seen in the first one, there is a thorough explanation of the commonalities that are present in the philosophies that gave rise to the development of a unique garden architecture. On the second level of commonality, there will be a thorough deliberation of the intrinsic conventions of the form and style. As mentioned in the previous paragraphs, there is always the use of bamboo, stones, water and sand in the construction of these gardens. Though they differ on the cultural contexts, it is inevitable that the influences of China towards Japan constitute the majority of the similarities that are associated with form. In the aspect of style, the similarity is already exploited on the philosophical level. However, on the form, there very use of bamboo in construction of gates, fountains, windows and other garden related objects already supports the highly nature-related approach of both the Chinese and Japanese gardens. As regard with the rocks and sands, they have provided an environmental like notion on the construction of these architectures since their properties are not isolated in one place. They can be used as well in the gardens whether it is in the urban, the suburban or the rural areas. This contributes to the development of different styles since the garden cannot be confined on a single location and can be constructed in any place. Therefore, there is versatility in the manner of constructions of these gardens. In the end, the formulation of these innovative aesthetic conventions grounded on a philosophical framework shows a very synthetic form of beauty that is highly considerate with conditions of nature. Even though there are intrinsic difficulties in the manner of decoding the cultural messages, it is still possible to marvel at these works of art and to showcase further the significance of these artistic creations to the contemporary world. These are even markers of the significance of these traditions to the world and provide a deeper understanding of the arts and culture present in these areas in Asia. In its totality, the architectural conventions and culture is indeed a hybrid since it has incorporated several conditions and influences like the philosophy, design and other culture that have been a marvel for the world to see and appreciate. Bibliography 1. Cali, Joseph, The New Zen Garden: Designing Quiet Spaces. New York :Kodansha, 2004. This work concentrates on the Zen approach to space and meditation. The author is an American artist who has lived in Japan for many years. The student may consult this work to compare the Zen philosophy approach to the Tao approach of the Chinese garden. 2. The UCLA Japanese gardens : a garden that reminds one of Kyoto. Los Angeles: Publication Services Dept., 1967. The UCLA Japanese garden is hidden away in the suburb Bel Aire just north of the UCLA campus. The university published the book to inform potential visitors of the authentic nature of this garden design. 3. Fang, Xiaofeng, The Great Gardens of China: History, Concepts, Techniques. New York: The Monacelli Press, 2001. The author is a very respected professor in Tsinghua University in Beijing. He is the author of many academic studies of Chinese gardening. This is a work of analysis of design, but it also has many beautiful photographs that prove once again that a picture is worth a thousand words. 4. Keswick, Maggie, The Chinese Garden, Revised Edition. United Kingdom: Francis Lincoln, Ltd., 2003. The author died in 1995 before she could revise this work as she desired. The original work described visits to Chinese gardens made by the author before World War II, the Japanese invasion, and the Communist Revolution prohibited visits to some of the locations in Suzhou and other cities featured by the author. The importance of the revision is that nearly two full pages of bibliography give recently published sources on the Chinese garden. 5. Li, T. June, Another world lies beyond : creating Liu Fang Yuan, the Huntington’s Chinese garden. San Marino, Calif. : Huntington Library, c2009. This book will be especially interesting to members of our class who will want to go to the Huntingdon Gardens to see the beauty for themselves and to take pictures for future papers and discussions. 6. Li, Zongwei, The Classical Gardens of Suzhou :Cultural China. New York: Better Link Press, 2006. This work would be a good companion to our text by Maggie Keswick because it is a book that concentrates on Suzhou as the most important Chinese city for the development of the Chinese garden. The author tells of the many gardens that once existed in the city and carefully describes the remaining gardens. 7. Mehta, Geeta, K., Tada, Kimmie, Noburu, Murata, Japanese Gardens: Tranquility, Simplicity, Harmony. New York: Tuttle, 2008. This work celebrates the essence of nature in 23 gardens viewed in Japan. The authors offer a history of garden creation in Japan giving many details about planning and gardening techniques. The photographs by the photographer Murata are very beautiful. 8. Vance, Mary, A., Gardens of China : books in English. Monticello, Ill. : Vance Bibliographies, 1980. Mary Vance is both an enthusiast and a scholar. In this bibliography she opens the door to to further study of the Chinese Garden. 9. Vance, Mary A., The gardens of Japan : a bibliography. Monticello, Ill. : Vance Bibliographies, 1981. Mary Vance is both an enthusiast and a scholar. In this bibliography she opens the door to to further study of the Chinese Garden. 10. Zhou, Ming, Translatability and untranslatability of a cultural artifact : difficulties of building a Chinese garden at Huntington Library. 2007. This book is no longer available at the UCLA library. It was written as a PhD thesis. The student who visits the Huntingdon gardens that are described will want to discover if a copy of this dissertation is available at the Huntingdon Garden Library. Read More