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Reflections—Water in the Garden
Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden: Pond and Waterfall
Waterfalls in Japanese gardens hint at the spiritual concept of "permanent impermanence" by always changing and yet always remaining the same.
Water in the Japanese Garden
From their earliest days, Japanese gardens have held a mirror to nature, using natural and man-made elements to re-create in a careful manner the rugged coastline and mountainous terrain of Japan. Water is ubiquitous in Japanese gardens, often featured as streams, ponds, and waterfalls. Water was central in ancient Japan for purification rituals, and it also symbolizes renewal and transition. Takeo Shiota (1881–1943), the original designer of the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, said of the waterfall here, "It is stern and strong. It suggests the slowly-won perfection of nature's handiwork." Photo credit: Uli Lorimer.
The Pond's Inhabitants and Visitors
A red-eared slider sunbathes on a rock in the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden while a large koi drifts by underwater. Photo credit: Dave Allen.
Many creatures make this pond their home—or pit stop. If you look at the surface of the pond for any length of time, you're sure to spy a surfacing koi, or cultivated carp. Koi, which can live over 50 years and grow as heavy as 30 pounds, are treasured residents in Japanese ponds and are said to signify strength, wisdom, and courage. The koi share their home with a host of turtles, which you'll see basking on rocks along the shore—red-eared sliders, painted turtles, and a few map turtles. Mallards love to dunk their heads into the pond for snacks of aquatic plants and seeds and insects; they are occasionally are accompanied in this search by cormorants, egrets, and herons.
