Heian Period
794 to 1185 A.D.
About 1200 years ago the city of Heiankyo, present day Kyoto, was founded, and with it came a new beginning for the Japanese garden. The period falls into three stages.
In the early years, large gardens drew on the town's abundant water to make natural ponds and streams. In the middle period, the nobility built palaces in the Shinden-zukuri style, and gardens were composed to be viewed from the main hall, the Shinden. These gardens worked as extensions of the palace interiors: broad ponds reflecting the sky, islands joined by bridges, pleasure boats crossing the water. The late period brought the Jodo-shiki or Pure Land style, in which temples were placed on islands in ponds to represent the ultimate paradise of Amida Buddhism.
The Sakuteiki was written in this period. It set down principles of stone setting, water placement, and spatial composition that still guide Japanese garden design today. The tie between the garden and the seasons was also formalized here. Planting was chosen so there was something to see all year: cherry in spring, lotus in summer, maple in autumn, pine in winter.
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