Peace garden puzzler
Q: Why was the gateway to the Japanese peace garden constructed without the upturned roof corners that typify Japanese architecture?
— Roger Brunt, Salt Spring Island
A: I have passed the garden gate hundreds of times, yet the impulse to question the roof corners never struck me.
Your unique query highlights the delicious grab bag of questions that pop into human heads every second. Thanks for giving us brief access into your personal thought bubble.
I queried the Japanese Garden Society (JGS) of Salt Spring Island about its rationale behind the ceremonial gate’s architecture.
Japanese Garden Society rationale
The idea, according to Sheryl Taylor-Munro, who sat on the JGS design/construction sub-committee, was to build a gate that was more of an east-meets-west flavour than an exact replica of an authentic Japanese structure.
Hence, the upturned corners were not a feature of the final design.
Because the garden’s purpose was to honour the history of the island’s Japanese-Canadian pioneers, the melding of architectural traditions was deemed appropriate.
“The intent was to incorporate the best we have on the west coast, in terms of materials and skills. We were trying to achieve something that looked like it belonged on Salt Spring.”
A west coast-style rammed earth wall was paired with the yellow cedar woodwork sourced from beaches near Bella Coola. The woodwork features traditional Japanese post-and-beam style construction.
Gate design selection process
Japanese architect Mana Nakata originally submitted designs to the JGC construction/design sub-committee that utilized architectural drawings by Clifton Dragland and master carpenter Michael Dragland.
The sub-committee voted on the final design. None of the design samples included upturned corners on the roof, according to Taylor-Munro.
“Garden gates are usually more discreet in design,” she wrote in an email.
“There are a number of different designs for roof lines depending on the purpose of the gate.”
The garden, as a whole, was designed to enhance “the appreciation of natural flows and energies that are innate in the natural world,” according to the society’s website.
The style of upturned corners, Taylor-Munro says, are today usually only incorporated into very large gates, several stories high, such as at the entrances to temples.Â
“Such roofs are much harder to build,” she adds.
The Japanese Garden Society of Salt Spring officially opened the Heiwa Garden in the existing Peace Park (across the street from ArtSpring) on May 2, 2009. It features a ceremonial entry gate and a garden.
Upcoming: A panel display is in the works in the garden that will provide an historic context for Heiwa Garden, commemorating the significant contributions made by Japanese-Canadian islanders. It will “invite visitors to understand their painful experiences in a space that promotes reconciliation and healing,” according to the JGS website.
For more on Japanese-Canadian history on Salt Spring, visit the JGS website’s history page.
Authentic desgin (upturned) was designed to avoid dripping water on the people passing by. Also many Japanese temple and shinto gate has a designed kawara (ceramic roof) such as dragon or komashishi. I believe that JGS will upgrade after they can get more budget to do. My personal opinion, that’s great start to have one! 感謝
I had no idea! A plaque near the entrance explaining this to visitors might be something worth considering.
If anyone has taken the time to study the design of Japanese Gates, (including Gates actually in Japan) , they would quickly see that a lot of them have flat, not up turned roofs. The curved or upturned roof is more commonly found on Temple structures, often reminiscent of the classical Chinese style. Japanese styled garden gates are often very simple, invoking a sense of peace, tranquility, and Zen.