Sam Toma and wife Yumiko in his Orleans backyard Japanese Garden (Sam Toma/Zenteriors)
Toma was introduced by his charming wife, Yumiko Tsunakawa Toma, whom he met and married in Japan. He told the audience that a six-month stay in Japan turned into 12 years. During that time he learned Japanese, got to love the food—especially sushi—and met and married a Japanese woman.
Toma began the lecture by saying he would give his audience a “whirlwind tour of Japanese garden design, which takes years and decades to learn in Japan.” He said he would give us “a road map telling us the way to go.”
Toma stressed that in the West we have become used to doing things quickly; in Japan it is the opposite. In Japan there is a large population but not much land for gardens. To enter a Japanese garden is to get away from stress and enter a place of peace and harmony, he said.
Toma’s audience seemed to be very aware of Japanese gardens. Canada has some exceptional examples, such as Butchart Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia, and the Montreal Botanical Garden, where there is not only an elaborate Japanese Garden but also a pavilion with a rock garden, bonsai display, and cultural centre.
A Japanese garden composed mainly of moss in Kyoto Japan (Sam Toma/Zenteriors)
Originally, gardens in Japan were constructed for monks. Toma showed a slide of a famous garden at Karesansui designed by Soami, master of Zen, who lived from 1480 to 1525. This 500-year-old garden is deemed a national treasure. Other slides depicted the changing seasons, as time is an important element in the Japanese garden. The slide showing a luxuriant moss garden was particularly striking.
Design concepts include the importance of “something to ponder,” always keeping in mind that “nature is the model.” Toma emphasized that one should “never create what nature can’t.” For example, “Do not use a geyser type of water element in your garden; instead install a waterfall, which is completely natural.”
In Canada we have lots of space for gardens, but the idea in Japan is to create a large landscape feeling from a small space because land is so scarce. Space and time are important elements in the Japanese garden, he explained, saying that emptiness defines the elements around it.
To Westerners, the Japanese garden does look empty in comparison to the Gardens of Versailles, for example. The difference between the two is that the Western garden “is created to entertain us, the Japanese garden to include us.”
Questions from the audience included how to find the right stones, which are a symbol of endurance and anchor the garden to the earth. Toma said that a drive in the country might be the answer, suggesting some farmers might even want rocks removed from their land. Of course, one would first need to ask permission.
Somewhat confusing to Westerners is the difference between female, male, and child stones.
The stone lantern, originally intended to guide visitors at night, is extremely difficult to find in Canada, and very expensive. Carp for the pond, important in the East, are not a good idea here, as our climate is too cold for them to survive the winter months.
We are also more limited in our choice of flowers, plants, and trees. Toma advised buying them as soon as they are available as the ones you want may be quickly sold out. Suggestions include pine trees, Japanese maples (need to be taken indoors in winter), and horsetail as a substitute for bamboo. Traditional flowers include iris, peony, and any small white flower that grows low to the ground.
Susan Hallett is an award-winning writer and editor who has written for The Beaver, The Globe & Mail, Wine Tidings and Doctor’s Review among many others. Email: hallett_susan@hotmail.com
