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9.Boat
Landing:
At the shore of the lake is a boat landing made of hand-hewn granite
blocks. Adjacent to the landing is a black pebble beach
10.
Ginkgo Trees: These are one of the oldest living species of trees.
The golden leaves have been found as fossils with dinosaur bones.
The fan-shaped leaves are placed in books to protect them from
insects. Ginkgo nuts are used in Japan for some menu preparation
and also for medicinal purposes - claimed to reverse the aging
process.
11.
View of Heavenly Floating Bridge: The view from this bridge represents
one of the three most scenic spots in Japan where the people ascend
a hill overlooking the Sea of Japan, stand on a stone and look
at this view of the Heavenly Floating Bridge. The actual view
is a spit of land in the Sea of Japan with pine trees growing
throughout. When the scene is viewed upside down, it looks like
the trees are floating in the heavens.
12.
Tea Garden and Tea House: The garden within the bamboo hedge known
as roji is typical of a tea garden. The planting is casual
and informal and is meant to depict a natural mountain pass. Stepping
stones are the main design element here since rofi means
walk. Strong colors or large objects are absent since they might
serve to distract one from concentrating on the tea ceremony.
The "low water basin" or tsueubai and the bamboo
water spout are accessories essential to the tea garden since
guests are expected to purify their bodies and spirits prior to
entering the teahouse. Entrance is gained through a small opening
known as the nijiriguchi. One must literally crawl through
the opening in order to evince the proper degree of humility.
It is a house of peace and any weapons, such as a Samurai sword,
must be left outside. This tea house is used on special occasions
for the performance of authentic Japanese tea ceremonies.
13.
Shoin Building: Major architectural entities in the garden include
the shoin building which projects over the lake and adjoins the
teahouse. Shoin was the residential dwelling developed for aristocrats,
upper class monks and samurai during the 14th and 15th centuries.
The exterior of this building is authentically shoin style,
but the interior has been modified to provide a place for meetings
and special events. This room offers a panoramic view of the garden.
14.Entry:North
of the Shoin Building you will notice a large entry gate. This
gate and the tile roofed wall or tsuiji are typical features
of the entry to an aristocrat's residence. The roof of the gate
is a combination of wood shingles and ichimonji tile. The
wall is traditionally built of clay and covered with white finish.
15.Waterfall
Viewing Arbor: There is no separation between garden and architecture
according to Japanese design concepts. Thus the arbors are an
integral part of the garden. This arbor is of the Sukiya
style. Arbors are places to rest, meditate, and view the garden.
In the Waterfall Viewing Arbor, notice that the wall facing the
garden has a window selecting a view of the garden.
16.
Waterfall: The waterfall is presented in the typical three-tier
fashion: Upper "heaven", middle "man", and
lower "earth". This waterfall is the main entry of water
from the reclamation plant into the lake. About 3 million gallons
of reclaimed water pass through the lake daily. Dr. Kawana personally
set the waterfall stones.
17.
Crane Island: South of the Shoin Building are the lotus pots and
Crane Island. Notice the pygmy bamboo ground cover. The wing of
the crane, (tsuru) can be seen on the west side of the
island (the horizontal pine). Cranes are believed to live 1,000
years and are thus, symbols of logevity.
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