Patrick Vierthaler

Wet Landscape Gardens

水・池のある庭園

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Japanese gardens in general can be divided into two broad categories: wet landscape and dry landscape gardens.

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"Wet landscape" as a term does not exist in Japanese. Water is - aside from karesansui style gardens - an almost omnipresent element in Japanese garden design.

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Therefore, my distinction between wet and dry landscape results from my subjective, photographic angle: the existence of water in form of a pond or stream presents myself with different motives compared to karesansui or moss gardens.

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​For a proper introduction into Japanese gardens, written by an expert on the subject, please see Marc P. Keane's Japanese Garden Notes: A Visual Guide to Elements and Design (2017, Stone Bridge Press).

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