shukukei　縮景

KEY WORD :　architecture / gardens

Lit. shrunken scenery. The imitation of a famous scenic spot meisho 名所 in a garden through the creation of a miniature or shrunken version. Mountains, rivers, lakes, seascapes and even man-made structures from China and Japan were incorporated into garden design. Scenic spots frequently used as shukukei included legendary peaks such as Mt. Penglai (Jp: *Houraisan 蓬莱山) and Mt. Kunlun (Jp: Konronsan 崑崙山), as well as literary groupings of real places such as the Three Famous Views of Japan Nihon sankei 日本三景 ( Matsushima 松島, Miyajima 宮島 and Ama no hashidate 天橋立), eight views of the Xiao and Xiang *Shoushou Hakkei 瀟湘八景, eight views of Oumi *Oumi Hakkei 近江八景, and the 53 Stations of the Toukaidou *Toukaidou Gojuusantsugi 東海道五十三次. The idea of producing miniature garden views originated in China and dates from the Nara period in Japanese gardens. The use of shukukei reached its peak in the large *daimyou teien 大名庭園 of the Edo period, where the cultural associations of the practice expressed the learning of the daimyou patron and where the sequential ordering of the more complex shukukei groups provided a useful organizing principle. A good example of shukukei at a daimyou teien is seen at Koishikawa Kourakuen 小石川後楽園 in Tokyo, where the Kiso 木曽 and Tatsuta 竜田 rivers, the Togetsu 渡月 and Tsuuten 通天 bridges of Kyoto are some of the Japanese scenes represented, while the West Lake (Jp: *Seiko 西湖) and Mt. Lu (Jp: Rozan 盧山) number among the Chinese scenes. Other daimyou teien famous for shukukei include Ritsurin Ｋouen 栗林公園 in Ehime prefecture, Kenrokuen 兼六園 in Ishikawa prefecture, and Rikugien 六義園 in Tokyo.

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