Japanese Garden Stone & Rock Work – ishigumi

January 26, 2011

The stonework in this project contains many Japanese garden principles.  One of which can be seen in the photo,  of a three stone ishigumi arrangement, which has a primary viewing point from the great room of the house through a sliding glass door.

Ishigumi, also known as iwagumi, is the art of installing stones into a grouping within a garden.  When implementing a landscape project, especially a Japanese garden, all of the stonework is critical to its success.  We typically bury a good portion of the stones and set them at various heights creating a well balanced and natural effect.  Three stone groupings are very common in Japanese gardens, and even more so at temple gardens.   We always take into account a hierarchy of views, making sure that we are creating the best composition for the primary view while taking into account other views.

Posted in Asian Gardens, Garden Types, Japanese Garden Design, Landscape, Stonework