When you stand in your garden and look out into the distance, what do you see? A mountain, a field, a towering building, or maybe just a few neighboring houses. All of these distant features are the scenery that surrounds you garden.
And while you may not realize it, there is a technique in which you can borrow this scenery and use it as a part of your garden. Shakkei, or “borrowed scenery” is an ancient technique in which distant views are incorporated into the garden. While the technique may be ancient you can apply it today to elevate your garden.
What is Shakkei?
The ancient gardening technique dates back to Japan’s Asuka period, occurring between 538-710 AD. The technique became more popular during the Heian period when the Japanese capital was moved to Kyoto. While the ruling and wealthy classes of Japan lived atop the foothills and had access to amazing views, the common population lived in an expanding city and saw their gardens and views shrink.
Because of this, they had to continually develop their gardening techniques in order to accommodate the changing skyline. shut out buildings while letting in desired views. Shakkei allowed the people of Kyoto to shut out buildings while letting in desired views and became a method to transport them to the distant countryside. The art of shakkei gardening rose again in pouplarity throughout Jape during the Muromachi period from 1336-1558 and again during the Meiji and Taisho eras between 1868 and 1926.
To this day, some of the most notable examples of shakkei gardening can be found in Japan’s imperial capital of Kyoto. Notable landscape features such as Mount Fuji and Sakurajima have served as borrowed scenery for many gardens in Japan. Shakkei garden design did not make its way into American culture until the 1960s when it became popular with modernist architects.
The simplistic and balance oriented qualities of shakkei made it a perfect addition to architecture that stressed minimalist open air design. Today, shakkei gardening, while it is not specifically called that throughout the United States, is broadly practiced especially in areas where modern homes dominate the market.
Basic Shakkei Techniques
Three basic techniques that define shakkei gardening. The first and most important technique is borrowing scenery or capturing alive a distant object and incorporating it or using it as a focal point of the garden.
Commonly borrowed objects are mountains, hills, lakes, and trees. However, if none of these are available to you, then objects such as a beautiful building, a rustic barn, or a distant statue can also be used. The object being borrowed can be in the very far distance as long as it is visible to the naked eye. It can also be or can close, such as a tree in a neighbor’s yard or a fixture at the back of your own yard. As long as the object is a permanent fixture it can be the borrowed scenery for your garden.
Another shakkei technique is trimming. Trimming, or mikiri, is the art of limiting the borrowed landscape to just the most beautiful features by concealing or limiting the undesired areas. It is easiest to think of trimming as simply framing your distant object just as you would frame a picture. In Japanese culture, trimming is generally accomplished by using clay walls to hide unattractive features. Japanese gardens also use a variety of stone and tall grasses for trimming. Other objects that would work in trimming are large bushes, topiaries, heges, lattice, and fencing.
The final element of shakkei is balance. Balance comes from providing a link between the distant view and the foreground of the garden. This could be a simple accent to the garden or a large overarching theme of the garden. The objects added should in some way connect with the distant object so that the eye is easily drawn outward. For instance, if the distant view is a mountain, you could add placements of rocks in an intermediate position in the garden. This will create a path for the eye to follow from the foreground of the garden to the distant element.
Elevate Your Garden with Shakkei
Now that you have a general understanding of shakkei you can add its techniques to your garden. You may not have a picturesque Mount Fuji as your distant view but you can still utilize your surroundings. Study the scenery around your garden. Are there trees, a neighbor’s wood fence, a beautiful bridge, or perhaps a towering hill? Whatever the scenery, choose the most beautiful piece of it and make that your focal point.
After you have chosen your focal point work to create a frame around it. Tall grass or hedges work well as do wood trellis and small trees. Whatever fits your garden will be the best frame. If your focal point is closer, such as the neighbor’s brightly painted fence, then add your framing pieces to block out additional objects such as a road, a driveway, or a house.
The final touch to extend your garden is to create balance between the distant view and the forefront. This is much easier to accomplish than you might think. If the distant view is a line of trees, then an easy addition to your garden would be a smaller version of those trees, perhaps a bush that is the same type. Plant the balancing object where it will not obstruct the distant view but rather will connect to it. You can also play with different heights of plants to create more depth within your garden.
Extend Shakkei Indoors
If your garden is right outside your door or if you have a large window or sliding glass door that provides a view of your distant object then you can extend your garden even further. Continuing your garden into your home is as easy as selecting pieces from your garden and replicating then indoors. If your distant view is a mountain and you’ve placed large stones in your garden then continue that theme into your home by placing smaller stones just inside your door. You can also add potted plants that mimic the color and style of your garden plants inside your door and throughout your house.
Now, perhaps just as much as in ancient East Asia, the art of shakkei can be a gardener’s best friend. With ever changing environments, tightly compacted housing communities, and new buildings sprouting up around cities, it can be difficult to create a garden that feels expansive. Once you take in your surroundings and are able to find that beautiful distant view you will be able to expand the look and feel of your garden with shakkei.