Garden

Japanese: 庭 - にわ

In the past, it referred to the open space in front of or behind a house, and by extension, the place where religious rites were held. Nowadays, it refers to a space with an artificial hill, pond, or plantings for the purpose of admiration.

In farmhouses, the dirt floor area at the entrance is called a niwa. It can also be called a doma, usuniwa, doji, or toori. It is a kind of workshop where a mortar is installed to prepare grains, and a straw-pounding stone is buried in one corner to pound straw for crafts and make straw crafts. As an extension of the living area, part of it is paneled and used as a kitchen or dining area, or a place to sort mulberry leaves during the silkworm rearing season. It is sometimes called itaniwa, and sometimes has an irori (earlight hearth) installed. Sometimes a hearth is placed and fire is fired from the floor. In some regions, a corner of the dirt floor is used as a fire place, and no hearth or earthen hearth is installed for cooking. In other regions, an internal well is installed, and a sink and hearth (kudo, hearth) are equipped, and it is used as a kitchen or dining area. When distinguishing between niwas according to their uses, a lattice door is sometimes built in the middle, or a wooden space is sometimes extended, leaving only a passageway. There are two types of stables: one that faces the garden inside the main house, and one that faces the outdoors. A toilet and a bath are installed next to the stable, and sometimes only a urinal is buried next to the entrance. A small room is sometimes installed on the opposite side of the garden to be used as a bedroom for employees or young couples.

The vacant lot in front of the main house is also called Niwa, Sotoniwa or Hoshi-niwa, and is sometimes called this to distinguish it from the indoor Uchi-niwa. It is used for outdoor work such as drying grains and threshing and preparing them, as well as for piling rice sheaves and creating seedbeds. Homes of the landlord class would have a garden with a rock formation and a pond outside the living room. The area between the Sotoniwa and the room is separated by a fence or earthen wall, and a wooden gate is installed in an appropriate place. This gate is called a Chumon. The inner garden is called Senzai or Roji.

[Yotaro Takeuchi]

How to make a garden

The following are some points to consider when creating a garden for an average home.

It is important to first make a solid plan and then work on improving the garden year after year in accordance with it. In a garden that is not too large, it is best to keep the design as simple as possible, with three-dimensional objects and small structures placed at key points and a harmonious color scheme. Next, the land is divided based on the blueprint. The garden is the part of the site excluding the house, and dividing this into the front yard, main yard, backyard, side yard and courtyard is called land division. The division of the garden's land is seen as an extension of the layout of the building, so it is advisable for the garden designer to be present when deciding on the layout of the building.

Once the garden plot is complete, you can begin shaping the ground. Follow the steps below to create a garden.

(1) Piling up and digging down. (2) Bringing in materials. (3) Arranging ornamental items such as stones and lanterns. (4) Pond bank protection work. (5) Planting garden trees. (6) Waterproofing the pond and concrete work. (7) Planting grass and moss. (8) Building hedges.

If you are going to hire a gardener to create a garden like this, it is important to choose a gardener who does careful research. The first thing to consider when creating a garden is drainage. Many housing sites in suburban areas, in particular, are built on developed rice fields or swamps, and poor drainage is often a problem. Mounding soil is an effective way to overcome these conditions. Pile good quality soil around the entire garden to a height of about 20 to 30 centimeters, create a slope to one side of the garden, and install a U-shaped gutter on the lower side.

Different parts of the garden are arranged differently.