11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
[MZZ52-P06] Stone use in daimyo gardens in Tokyo: a case study of the Higo Hosokawa Garden
Keywords:stone survey, Japanese Garden, daimyo gardens, volcanic rock, Edo
Background and Methods
Japanese gardens are renowned for appliying natural resources, including topography, rocks, water, and plants. Rocks are the most inalterable element that can reflect the original design and materials used in a garden. During the Edo period, many gardens were constructed in the residences of the daimyo in Edo. In contrast to Kyoto, stones produced far away were used in daimyo gardens due to the lack of rock resources in Tokyo. The present study aimed to clarify the stone use in daimyo gardens in Tokyo based on the representative case of the Higo Hosokawa Garden.
The Higo Hosokawa Garden is a suburban residential garden constructed in the Edo period that belonged to the Hosokawa family, the feudal lord of Higo Kumamoto. It is now composed of an entrance and a residential area in the west, a stroll pond area in the south, and a hillside area in the north, where the paths were repaired in the Showa period. From March to September 2021, we determined the type of rocks used in the garden by analyzing their external appearance and magnetic susceptibility.
Results
Stones from east Japan were the most common. Among them, gray andesite from the coast of the Manazuru Peninsula and the Izu Peninsula (①Manazuru-ishi and ②Izu-ishi) was used as ornamental stone, and for stone arrangements in the entrance area and around the pond. Columnar joints of andesite from the Izu Peninsula and China (③Roppo-seki) were used as paving stones and curbstones on the hillside. Platy joints of andesite from southeast Kanagawa Prefecture (④Nebukawa-ishi) were used as stepping stones and stone bridges around the pond area. Dark gray andesite from southeast Kanagawa Prefecture (⑤Komatsu-ishi) was used as ornamental stone and to as the benches dispersed around the pond. Black basalt from Mt. Fuji (⑥Kuroboku-ishi) and gabbro from Mt. Tsukuba (⑦Tsukuba-ishi) were used for stone arrangements in the pond bank. Single cases of ⑧chert and ⑨limestone from north Kanto were found near the residence.
Stones from Kyoto were also identified. Granodiorite from the northern mountain of Kyoto (⑩Kurama-ishi), which is characterized by a reddish-brown rusty color due to iron hydroxides on the surface, was used as shoe-removing stone and for stone arrangement in the residential area. Dark purple diabase tuff from the northern mountain of Kyoto (⑪Kibune-ishi) was used as the water basin in the tea garden located north of the residence. White granite from the eastern mountain of Kyoto (⑫Shirakawa-ishi) was used as ornamental stone in the entrance area.
Chlorite schists from the Sanbagawa metamorphic belt were also identified. Chlorite schist from Ehime Prefecture (⑬Iyo Ao-ishi), which was polished by the sea, was used as a special ornamental stone in the lawn area between the residence and pond. Two pieces of thin chlorite schist from Chichibu Area (⑭Chichibu Ao-ishi) were used as flat ornamental stones, near the pond and on the square of the hillside.
Round white granite from the Mie river (⑮Ise-gorota) was used for the pebble beach of the pond, and sandstone from the Nagasaki Prefecture (⑯Isahaya-ishi) was used as pavement stone on the hillside.
Discussion
The Higo Hosokawa Garden is believed to comprise three characteristics of stone use typical to daimyo gardens in Tokyo: i) despite the poor color variety, the volcanic rocks from the Izu Peninsula, southeast Kanagawa Prefecture and Mt. Fujito were the major type of garden stones, which reflected the geological features of east Japan; ii) a small number of stones from west Japan were used around the residence as special, brighter, and more colorful ornamental stones, which reflected the admiration for the culture of Kyoto; and iii) new species of stones were used in area that were reconstructed or repaired during the Showa period, when the garden was open to the public and functioned as a park.
Acknowledgment
This study was supported by the Higo Hosokawa Garden Park-up Community and the Green Park Section of Bunkyo City.
Japanese gardens are renowned for appliying natural resources, including topography, rocks, water, and plants. Rocks are the most inalterable element that can reflect the original design and materials used in a garden. During the Edo period, many gardens were constructed in the residences of the daimyo in Edo. In contrast to Kyoto, stones produced far away were used in daimyo gardens due to the lack of rock resources in Tokyo. The present study aimed to clarify the stone use in daimyo gardens in Tokyo based on the representative case of the Higo Hosokawa Garden.
The Higo Hosokawa Garden is a suburban residential garden constructed in the Edo period that belonged to the Hosokawa family, the feudal lord of Higo Kumamoto. It is now composed of an entrance and a residential area in the west, a stroll pond area in the south, and a hillside area in the north, where the paths were repaired in the Showa period. From March to September 2021, we determined the type of rocks used in the garden by analyzing their external appearance and magnetic susceptibility.
Results
Stones from east Japan were the most common. Among them, gray andesite from the coast of the Manazuru Peninsula and the Izu Peninsula (①Manazuru-ishi and ②Izu-ishi) was used as ornamental stone, and for stone arrangements in the entrance area and around the pond. Columnar joints of andesite from the Izu Peninsula and China (③Roppo-seki) were used as paving stones and curbstones on the hillside. Platy joints of andesite from southeast Kanagawa Prefecture (④Nebukawa-ishi) were used as stepping stones and stone bridges around the pond area. Dark gray andesite from southeast Kanagawa Prefecture (⑤Komatsu-ishi) was used as ornamental stone and to as the benches dispersed around the pond. Black basalt from Mt. Fuji (⑥Kuroboku-ishi) and gabbro from Mt. Tsukuba (⑦Tsukuba-ishi) were used for stone arrangements in the pond bank. Single cases of ⑧chert and ⑨limestone from north Kanto were found near the residence.
Stones from Kyoto were also identified. Granodiorite from the northern mountain of Kyoto (⑩Kurama-ishi), which is characterized by a reddish-brown rusty color due to iron hydroxides on the surface, was used as shoe-removing stone and for stone arrangement in the residential area. Dark purple diabase tuff from the northern mountain of Kyoto (⑪Kibune-ishi) was used as the water basin in the tea garden located north of the residence. White granite from the eastern mountain of Kyoto (⑫Shirakawa-ishi) was used as ornamental stone in the entrance area.
Chlorite schists from the Sanbagawa metamorphic belt were also identified. Chlorite schist from Ehime Prefecture (⑬Iyo Ao-ishi), which was polished by the sea, was used as a special ornamental stone in the lawn area between the residence and pond. Two pieces of thin chlorite schist from Chichibu Area (⑭Chichibu Ao-ishi) were used as flat ornamental stones, near the pond and on the square of the hillside.
Round white granite from the Mie river (⑮Ise-gorota) was used for the pebble beach of the pond, and sandstone from the Nagasaki Prefecture (⑯Isahaya-ishi) was used as pavement stone on the hillside.
Discussion
The Higo Hosokawa Garden is believed to comprise three characteristics of stone use typical to daimyo gardens in Tokyo: i) despite the poor color variety, the volcanic rocks from the Izu Peninsula, southeast Kanagawa Prefecture and Mt. Fujito were the major type of garden stones, which reflected the geological features of east Japan; ii) a small number of stones from west Japan were used around the residence as special, brighter, and more colorful ornamental stones, which reflected the admiration for the culture of Kyoto; and iii) new species of stones were used in area that were reconstructed or repaired during the Showa period, when the garden was open to the public and functioned as a park.
Acknowledgment
This study was supported by the Higo Hosokawa Garden Park-up Community and the Green Park Section of Bunkyo City.