Japanese Gardens: A Kyoto Introduction with Dr. Gavin Campbell
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Few cultures have gardened with a greater passion than the Japanese. Explore more with a local Kyoto expert with an introduction to these fascinating spaces.
The attention to garden detail in Japan is unlike any other culture. Their spellbinding tranquility and their bold use of color, shape, and rhythm, gardens are one of Japan’s greatest artistic triumphs. And nowhere is there a greater concentration of these masterworks than Kyoto. This tour provides a basic overview of these mesmerizing spaces of emerald green and ancient stone.
We begin with the aesthetic principles that guide their construction and maintenance. These include “mono no aware” (the passing of all things), “wabi” (the beauty of austerity) “shakkei” (borrowed scenery), “miegakure” (hide and reveal) and “ma” (space or interval).
With these fundamental building blocks as our guide, we then delve deep into a number of representative gardens, including the Zen rock garden of Ryōanji, the tea garden of Kōtō-in, the warrior garden at Kinkakuji, and a Kyoto merchant’s townhouse garden. Each of these jewels illuminates basic design principles, while also showing how the needs of different clients gave rise to different gardening styles.
Designed to inform curiosity as well as future travels, this interactive seminar is led by Gavin Campbell, a Context expert who (normally) regularly guides our “Beyond Zen: Kyoto Garden Tour.”
Gavin received a Ph.D. in history from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and came to Kyoto in 2001. He is a Ph.D. professor of history at Doshisha University. His teaching and research revolve around Japan's cultural encounters with the West, particularly during the Edo, Meiji, Taisho and early Showa periods (1600-1940), and he has published on the history of foreign tourism and of Protestant missionaries in Japan. To further explore Japan's global cultural encounters, he is currently writing a book on the history of Japanese menswear from the 1600s through the early 20th century. He is also an expert on Kyoto geisha culture and a frequent participant in geisha entertainment.
This conversation is suitable for all ages
90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.
Dr. Campbell is very organized and clear in his presentation. I especially appreciated how he defined the characteristics of Kyoto Japanese gardens with both descriptions and photos. As he noted, we were able to see a wonderful variety of gardens in a relatively short amount of time since we were online, not walking from place to place. Also loved that he shared garden pictures from all four seasons. Very nicely done. Now, to get to Kyoto in person!
Excellent presentation. Very well organized and included many compelling details. Increased my interest in going to Kyoto!
I learned so much from this presentation! We are going to Kyoto next year and this presentation really taught me a lot about what goes into Japanese garden design and the philosophy behind it. It also gave me a whole different outlook on gardening in general. Mr. Campbell is very knowledgeable about the customs and history of Japan. I highly recommend this presentation!
Very well delivered online seminar. Gavin is a wonderful teacher with knowledge I have not heard even with 30+ years of travel to Japan.