At the end of our trip to Japan we made a quick stop at the Kenrokuen Garden, one of the few places on the planet that successfully combines all six elements of excellent gardens as defined in the classic Chinese text, Rakuyo-Meienki: spaciousness, seclusion, watercourses, antiquity, panoramas, and artifice. Yep, artifice.
From the pamphlet, artifice was defined as, “Ponds, streams, famous trees, mountain views integrated with the garden, a valley in the mountains that suddenly appears, etc. all considered and created by human skills. Other types of human skills are the skills of Kenrokuen’s gardeners, who have been caring for the garden for a long time, refining its beauty while making use of techniques passed down from generation to generation. . .”
Then I spotted them, the gardeners, the great masters of fake nature. I bowed in respect.
