Tsubo-niwa
A tsubo-niwa (坪庭/壷庭/つぼにわ) is a type of very small garden in Japan.[1] Tsubo-niwa have been described as "quasi-indoor gardens", and are a key feature of some traditional Japanese homes, such as the machiya (lit. 'townhouse').[2] They are valued for their beauty and for bringing nature into the building.
Some tsubo-niwa are also impluviums that collect rainwater; others contain groundwater wells. They are traditional locations for temizu (handwashing). They also provide light and ventilation.
As the floorboards in a traditional Japanese building are usually raised above the ground, a niwa is an area without the wooden flooring; the floorboards surrounding a garden may form a veranda called an engawa.
Etymology and terminology
The term tsuboniwa stems from tsubo (坪), a unit of measurement (equal to 1×1 ken, the size of two tatami (flooring and sleeping mats), roughly 3.3 square metres (36 sq ft)), and niwa, meaning "garden". Other spellings of tsubo-niwa translate to "container garden", and a tsubo-niwa may differ in size from the tsubo unit of measurement.[1]
A number of different terms exist to describe the function of townhouse gardens. Courtyard gardens of all sizes are referred to as naka-niwa, "inner gardens";[3] gardens referred to as tōri-niwa (通り庭, lit. 'passage garden') include both the mise-niwa (shop entrance garden) and the hashiri-niwa (hallway-garden, often mostly-roofed and used as a kitchen). The zensai-niwa is found at the front of a traditional townhouse, with additional tsubo-niwa often found in the interior and at the rear.[4]
History
Tsubo-niwa were originally found in the interior courtyards of Heian period palaces, designed to give a glimpse of nature and some privacy to the residents of the rear side of the building. These were as small as one tsubo – roughly 3.3 square metres (36 sq ft).[5]
During the
Tsubo-niwa gained greater popularity in the early 21st century,[6] and can be found in many Japanese residences, hotels, restaurants, and public buildings.[5] Multistory and underground interior spaces present difficulties for tsubo-niwa cultivation; artificial lighting, anidolic lighting (using fiberoptic cables to pipe in sunlight), and a combination of both have been used.[2]
Purpose
Tsubo-niwa are used to provide a touch of nature, connect the outdoors to the indoors, and make an indoor space seem larger;, hand-cleansing.
Tsubo-niwa are often set up where they can be seen by home occupants while relaxing or eating dinner.[6] Commercial restaurants and eateries, such as ramen shops, may also have tsubo-niwa, placed so that guests can see them while eating.[9][10]
Tsubo-niwa use less space than larger gardens and are cheaper to build. As of 2012[update], the cost is in the low hundred thousand yen (low thousands of US dollars) for professional installation. Do-it-yourself kits cost a tenth as much and upwards.[6] They also take less time to maintain; keeping a traditional Japanese garden is considered a meditative act.[1]
Contents
Tsubo-niwa typically contain a functional
Famous tsubo-niwa
A good example of a tsubo-niwa from the
See also
- Tablinum – for the physics of ventilating and cooling using courts and gardens
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Keane, Marc P. (18 April 2016). "Japanese Courtyard Gardens". Kyoto Journal.
- ^ .
- ^ Mansfield, Stephen. "Mirei Shigemori: at home with stone". Japan Times.
- ^ "Kyomachiya townhouses are full of interesting features!". Why KYOTO? Magazine. Leaf Publications Co. Ltd. 21 March 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
- ^ a b c Young, The Art of the Japanese Garden, p. 126
- ^ a b c d e f Tanikawa, Miki (23 August 2012). "From Japan's Urban Dwellings, Corners of Serenity". The New York Times.
- ^ Feuerpeil, Jenny (30 June 2014). "Day 89 – Kyoto has a new garden". 90 Days in Kyoto.
- ^ Feuerpeil, Jenny (26 August 2019). "The Tiniest Garden – Web Comic". 90 Days in Kyoto.
- ^ Account: [7] Sketches: [8]
- ^ "Muza-chan's Gate to Japan". muza-chan.net.
- ^ Judy Kilpatrick (19 March 2012). "How to Plan a Japanese Courtyard Garden". SFGATE.
- ^ Gunter Nitschke, Le jardin japonais, p. 225.
- ^ "Ryogen-in, a sub-temple of Daitoku-ji". kyoto.asanoxn.com.