Rockery in Garden庭園中的石景

林晏州 教授Yann-Jou Lin

Rockeries in China Garden

History

In Chinese gardening history, the piling up of hills and rockeries occurred very early, beginning with the imperial palace-gardens of the Qin (221 - 207 B.C.) and Han (206 B.C. - A.D. 7) Dynasties.

早自秦、漢開始石景開始利用於中國庭園

History

The canons of traditional Chinese abstract landscape painting greatly influenced the formalization for building up hills and rockeries in Chinese classical gardens.

中國傳統庭園石景的設置與山水畫有密切關係

Definition

Generally, the man-made hills or rockeries were called “false mountains （假山）“ .

Ji Cheng （計成） said in his famous gardening book Yuan Zhi, "to pile-up false mountains correctly, they must be made to look real and natural--they are miniature mountains modeled after nature by the arts of gardening".

The Use of Mountains-and-Water Painting for Reference

Water and mountain paintings rendering of natural landscapes

In both Chinese landscaping and painting the principles of three "far-offs" were shared.

far-off perpendicularly in elevation

far-off in depth

far-off horizontally

Far-off in elevation rockeries were usually designed with the higher peaks in the background and the lower in the foreground.

Far-off in depth interlocking two mountains to create the illusion of depth far-off

Far-off horizontally tortuous winding elevations, paths.

Three Type of Hill and Rockery Gardens

Big-Hill Gardens

Big, wooded hills are often positioned as the central focus in a garden.

Pavilions or halls are built on or near the top so the viewer can overlook the surrounding scenes both near and far-off.

The objective in these gardens is to create a wide perception in space.

Medium-Hill Gardens

Such hills are often seen in the layout of private to differentiate between what is primary and what is secondary.

Therefore, suitable and distinct contrasts of the various features of the mountain is important.

Rockeries must be the reduced but lively epitomes of the real mountains found in nature.

Small Rockery Gardens

Rockeries proportional to the limited space available at most private residence garden can be skillfully designed and constructed.In Chinese gardening, such small scale rockeries were traditionally called "Essays of Rockeries“, meaning that rockeries of small size were analogous to that widely admired form of literature, the essay, which deal cogently and succinctly with a topic in limited space.

The Building of "False Mountains"

Ten Traditional Methods of Piling Up Rockeries and Hills

Ten technical wordsTiao (pushing out) （挑）Piao (floating in the air) （飄）Tou (seeing through) （透）Kau (spanning) （跨）Lian (linking) （連）Xuan (hanging) （懸）Chui (drooping) （垂）Dou (arching) （道）Ka (blocking) （卡）Jian (sword upwards). （劍）

Tiao （挑）the method of pushing out, is executed by laying a rectangular slab of stone so that it extends outward from the face of the rockery into space and overhanging the lower slopes.

Piao （飄）the method of placing a stone on the protruding end of a rectangular slabs of stone placed in the hill to create the image of floating in the air.

Tou （透）refers to the need to create the illusion of mountain passes that the viewer may see through to other mountains or beyond to the far off landscape.

（穿透過前山看見後山而產生深度的錯覺）

Kua （跨） It should stretch upward and outward at an angle like an outstretched arm pointing to the heavens.The stone used must harmonize with the stones used to finish the upper half of the rockery. 利用岩石向外、向上伸出如同手臂一般指向天空

Lian （連）Long, flat stones of variant shapes and thickness are placed in ring-like structures, one on top of the other. The underlying structure is not unlike thin cakes piled one on the top of the other. But rather than a perfectly round structure, with perfectly straight sides.透過不同形狀的石頭連接

Xuan （懸）stones of varying shapes and thickness are placed vertically. The placing of the stones and cementing them must be done carefully to insure the structural soundness of this form of false mountain. Like Lian the final form is very striking and well-suited to the construction of water effects of the most marvelous kind.不同形狀的石頭垂直堆疊。與”連”相似，易於創造出驚異的水的效果

Chui （垂）approach to constructing a rockery is somewhat similar to the Lian method in that flat stones are formed in a ring-like structure. It differs from Lian, however, in that the stones are placed so that they slope downward or droop as seen when drops of water freeze on sloping surfaces.創造出環繞的石頭並利用類似連的方式將向下垂的石頭置於中央相連

Dou （道）refers to stone archways made to cross crevices in a rockery. Such archways not only add an exotic and unique feeling to a rockery but also function as bridges on the pathway leading up and around the hill. An archway is particularly effective when the crevasse which it spans also carries a watercourse. 利用石頭堆疊成如同拱門一般的結構

Ka （卡）means the appropriate use of smaller stones to support and stabilize a huge stone. These smaller stones must be placed so as to leave crevices between them. A perceptual sense of simplicity and lightness must be the esthetic objective in placing Ka stones.

適當利用小石頭支撐穩固大顆的石頭。將較小的石頭放在大石頭間的縫隙以穩固石頭

Jian （劍）refers to the need to place the mountain summit rock with the pointed end at the top and the bigger and heavier end at the base. This is interpreted as a sword pointing upward in the air but served the obvious practical purpose of maintaining the stability of the uppermost elements of the rockery.

設置山峰在山的頂端以及較大的下盤。如同劍指向天空，有助於建立穩定的特性

Considerations in Piling-up Rockeries

In making a hill or rockery, rough sketches detailing the elevations from several sides and a plan view were first drawn. In this way the size, height, position and background were visualized so all the design objectives sought in the garden were correctly realized in a naturally harmonious and esthetical way.

The position, size and figure of man-made hills or rockeries must be varied in keeping with the objectives of the garden.If the garden is designed to replicated mountain scenes, the rockeries and hills must be large and centered in accord with the topography of the site.If the garden is a waterscape, the rockeries must be smaller and should be scattered to beautify the central scene.

Four Avoidances in Piling Rockeries

The rocks and stones used for piling rockeries should be of the same color and grain pattern. It is necessary to carefully select the stones for the specific qualities required for pilling up a particular rockery.Stones of the same kind may not have the same grain pattern. It is necessary to choose only those of nearly the same pattern for a specific rockery.

Four Avoidances in Piling Rockeries

Avoid evenness in placing stones in the rockery. The stones used in pilling up rockeries should be different in size and height and placed randomly to avoid any hint on evenness or stones in rows.Avoid using too many small stones (less than 20 cm in diameter). Use big stones (35cm or larger) to promote a feeling of stability, firmness and large size. Small stones should be used only as filling stones between the big stones.

Japanese Stone Gardens

A Brief History of Stone Arrangements

Ancient Period 上古時代的石組 Asuka (552-646) and Nara Periods (646-794) 飛鳥˙奈良時代的石組 Heian Period (794-1185) 平安時代的石組Kamakura Periods (1185-1333) 鎌倉時代的石組Muromachi Period (1333-1573) 室町時代的石組 Momoyama Periods (1573-1603) 桃山時代的石組Early Edo Period (1603-c. 1700) 江戶時代初期的石組 Middle and Late Edo Period (c.1770-1868) 江戶時代中˙末期的石組 Meiji (1868-1912) and Taisho (1912-26) Eras 明治 , 大正時代的石組

The variety of Stone Arrangements

Classification Scheme 基本石組

Stone arrangements with names adopted from Buddhism （佛教意義的石組） Auspicious stone arrangements （吉祥意義的石組）Stone arrangements based on natural scenery（自然形式的石組） Functional stone arrangements （實用的石組

）

Stone arrangements with names adopted from Buddhism 佛教意義的石組

Sanzon stone arrangements 三尊石組Shumisen stone arrangements 須弥山式石組

Sanzon stone arrangements 三尊石組Sanzon refers to arrangement of three figures– a Buddha in the center and an attending bodhisattva on either side.

Three large stones positioned with the middle one higher than the other two are called a sanzon arrangement.

Three types of sanzon stone arrangement

Shumisen stone arrangements 須弥山式石組A shumisen stone arrangements is thus one in which several stones are positioned around a large central one.

Such an arrangement is often the central feature of a garden.

Typical shumisen arrangement with a prominent central stone.

Unique shumisen arrangement with the peripheral stones leaning toward the center one.

Auspicious stone arrangements 吉祥意義的石組

Turtle stone arrangements 龜石組Crane stone arrangements 鶴石組Seven-five-three stone arrangements 七五三石組

Turtle stone arrangements 龜石組Turtle stone arrangements frequently do look like turtles, usually because the stone representing the head has been well chosen.The positioning of the head stone has varied over the centuries; the old style was to place the stone erect, or at angle that gave the power to the arrangement.Theoretically, a turtle stone arrangement can comprise separate stones for the head, shell, four leg, and tail, but most arrangements depict only part of the turtle.

Crane stone arrangements 鶴石組Crane stone arrangements tend to be more abstract than turtle stone arrangements because of the difficulty inherent in representing a crane’s wings and long, thin neck.

A wing is depicted with a single mountain-shaped stone. A long stone, placed upright or horizontally, is used for the neck.

neck

wing

Seven-five-three stone arrangements 七五三石組

The Japanese naturally interpreted these numbers as auspicious ones, and by about the fifteenth century.

Seven-five-three stone arrangements seem particularly effective on flat land in small gardens.

Stone arrangements based on natural scenery 自然形式的石組

Waterfall stone arrangements 滝石組Dry-Waterfall stone arrangements 枯滝石組Mountain range stone arrangements 連山石組Grotto stone arrangements 洞窟石組Embankment stone arrangements 護岸石組Rock island stone arrangements 岩島石組Whirlpool stone arrangements 窩卷式石組

Waterfall stone arrangements 滝石組A Waterfall stone arrangements comprises several specific stones. At the top is a waterfall source stone off of which the water falls. An arrangement may have two or three such stones arranged vertically to give a bi-or tri-level effect.A so-called carp stone may replace the base stone; this is a stone that represents a carp attempting to climb the falls.

Carp stone

鯉魚石

Dry- Waterfall stone arrangements 枯滝石組Dry- Waterfall stone arrangements can be part of an entire dry-landscape garden, but are often found in gardens with ponds as well, when the pond’s water supply is lower than the pond, making a regular waterfall impractical.

與滝石組一樣，枯滝石組同樣有鯉魚石

Mountain range stone arrangements 連山石組A set of stones arranged to look like a series of peaks is called a mountain range stone arrangement.

They are usually placed on hillsides, as well as occasionally on an island in the garden pond or as an element of a dry-landscape arrangements.

Grotto stone arrangements 洞窟石組Grotto stone arrangements are usually build on hillsides or as part of embankment stone arrangement, with a supporting stone on either side and a large flat stone placed on top of these.

Embankment stone arrangements 護岸石組In addition to lining the garden pond, Embankment arrangements may be used to line garden streams and pond islands, and may also appear in dry-landscape versions of all of these.

右圖是連山石組與護岸石組搭配使用

左圖將三尊石組應用於護岸石組中

Rock island stone arrangements 岩島石組Often with just one upright or slanted stone, rock island stone arrangement are designed in imitation of small, craggy islands seen in the ocean.

Whirlpool stone arrangements 窩卷式石組Whirlpool stone arrangements are a rather unusual type that appeared in late Muromachi period( 室町時代 ).

A powerful central stone is placed in an upright position and around this are arranged in a spiral a number of stone of differing heights and angles.

Functional stone arrangements 實用的石組

Bridge stone arrangements 橋石石組Stepping stones 飛石Flag stones 敷石Stone basins and accompanying stones 蹲踞Hachimae 鉢前

Bridge stone arrangements 橋石石組The earliest garden bridges were probably simple stone planks laid over the garden stream.

During the Kamakura period( 鎌倉時代 ), stone bridge began to serve a more scenic function in gardens.

During the Muromachi period （室町時代） , thin low-lying accessorystone were considered tasteful.

Stepping stones 飛石They seems to have appeared in the tea ceremony garden, during the last decades of the 1500s.

Flag stones 敷石敷石的出現， 就如同飛石一般 ， 最早皆於茶庭中所發現

Stone basins and accompanying stones 蹲踞At the center of the arrangement is the basin it self, in front of which is a low flat stone that a person squats on when taking water from the basin.

Hachimae 鉢前It’s a stone basin placed near the edge of veranda of building.

A Hachimae is made of a tall atone or placed on a tall stand.