When I lived in Beijing one of my favorite places to visit was the Tanzhe Temple in the mountains to the West of the city. The air was cleaner there, and the temple was beautiful, as were it’s natural surroundings. It was definitely a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the big city. The long stone path leading up to the temple was worn down through centuries of use. It was constructed of large pieces of stone, some of which were clearly architectural.
Rather than throw away cut stone salvaged from abandoned buildings or construction debris it appears to have been incorporated into the construction of the path. This included pieces of white marble with delicate carvings. The overall effect was to make the path a beautiful mosaic of natural and sculpted stone. I have also seen examples of this type of reuse in and around ancient places in Korea and Japan.
Reuse in the Japanese Garden
There is a long tradition of using man-made building materials in Japanese garden design, especially quarried and finished stone. Cut granite slabs are often used for bridges and paving stones. Aside from being useful, man-made materials add visual interest by contrasting in form and texture with natural elements.
Not all of the man-made materials found in Japanese gardens are purpose made to be there, or at least not originally. This is especially true in gardens build before the industrialization of Japan. Pieces of stone salvaged from abandoned structures is often incorporated into the construction of pathways and stairs. Round millstones, once used to make flour from grain, have also found new life in many Japanese gardens as stepping stones. Clay roof tiles, the same ones found on the roofs of temples and traditional Japanese homes, are used for edging along paths and to keep the gravel in dry garden beds. Even decorative elements like lanterns and water basins started out with roles outside of the Japanese garden.
There was a time when getting a mill stone meant a short trip to the local grist mill. Today, many of these once “found” materials are now being manufactured specifically for use in garden design. This includes mill stones, stone lanterns and water basins. Cheap concrete and plastic replicas are also readily available.
Buildings today are made of engineered materials like oriented strand board, asphalt shingles, reinforced concrete, drywall and vinyl siding. Very few of the materials are well suited for reuse in a Japanese garden. Some things that might work with a little creativity would be stone window sills, granite counter tops, and driveway paving stones.
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