The private garden of Takakazu Nozawa
I met Takakazu Nozawa by the Internet. He lives in Japan, Boso Peninsula (Chiba Prefecture). This area is located near Tokyo. Since the Edo period (i.e. about 350 years ago), there were magnificent rice fields. Also, this area is one of the warmest in the country and snow in this region is a big rarity. However, when I first saw the pictures of that wonderful garden, it was under the snow.
About 25 years ago one famous Japanese politician Seizaburo Nakamura decided to sell his land. Parents Takakazu Nozawa became buyers. They bought this land and built a house on it. By a happy coincidence, their neighbor was a gardener and designer, Mr. Saito. He was studying the art of garden design and his teacher was the great master who worked in the traditions of the old school. Mr. Saito decided to create a garden for the parents of Takakazu Nozawa, calling it his most important work. At that time, following the ancient traditions, the master did not make any detailed plan. It was only a small sketch. Mr. Saito believed that the most important thing for garden is the location of the main tree, which later will determine the position of rocks, ponds and other trees.
By Russian standards, the garden of Takakazu Nozawa is small, but in Japan it is a huge area. Its area is 260 tsubo. One tsubo is 3.3 square meters. Thus, the size of the plot is about 860 square meters.
In the southern side of the garden is the tsukubai. The basis of this water device is the natural stone with an indentation for the water. In Japan (as well as in our country) to find such stone is a great luck. It costs very expensive, so most often the people use a ??special cup for tsukubai. But in this garden we can see a masterpiece of nature, which are not touched by human hand.
Here, from tsukubai originates the dry creek. Its bottom is made up of stones of various sizes. Flat stone bridge gives to stream liveliness and a sense that until recently there was water. By the way, during the long rainy season, the dry creek is becoming "wet", and the real water is flowing along the river. But, unfortunately, because of the high prices for water and electricity in Japan, it is an unaffordable luxury to have constantly flowing stream.
Running through the entire area, the dry creek rests against the pond, which symbolizes the sea. The depth of the pond is about five feet. Due to the fact that the main garden is located on the hill, there is no needs to make a thorough drainage. All the water flows down to the pond, filling it to the brim during the long rainy season. There are about 25 carps koi in the pond. Shrubs planted very close to the bank of the pond to make the fish feel good and to stay cool in the sun. Hanging over the body of water, the plants provide the shade, which is necessary for fish in the hot summer days.
On the eastern side of the pond we can see artificial hills, tsukiyama. Their height is about 1.20 - 1.50 meters. But the master created the hills and placed the plants so skillfully that visually they seem much higher. Shrubs and trees create their own, additional relief. Looking at the hills, would not say that it is the work of human, because they look very natural. It seems that they have existed here for centuries. Path-stairs of rounded stones leads upstairs. Climbing up by it, you can admire the view of this wonderful garden from the top.
Another attraction of the garden is the Buddhist stone triad, Sanzon-seki, placed on the hillside. This arrangement consists of a large stone in the center and two smaller ones on the right and the on left. The central stone is a major figure of the Buddhist trinity, and two others are less important (so-called "staff"). First Sanzon-seki was described in the "Sakuteiki", the first book of the garden design.
We can find here also tsubo - a small piece of the garden, fenced on all sides. This cozy corner is visible from the bathrooms window of the house of parents of Nozawa Takakazu.
There are several paths in the garden, both tobi-ishi and stone paving.
And finally, I would like to say a few words about plants. This garden, as any real Japanese garden, flashes bright colors twice in a year. In the spring there are a magical flowering of wisteria on the pergola, and the white and the pink cherry blossom. Autumn comes the turn of Japanese maples, flashing here and there as the red lights of the outgoing summer.
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