Adelaide Himeji Gardens is a traditionally-styled

Japanese garden are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desig ...

, a gift from Adelaide's sister city,

Himeji 260px, Himeji City Hall is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 525,682 in 227,099 households and a population density of 980 persons per km². The total area of the city is ...

in 1982. It is located in

Park 18 The Adelaide Park Lands are the figure-eight of land spanning both banks of the River Torrens between Hackney and Thebarton and separating the City of Adelaide area (which includes both Adelaide city centre and North Adelaide) from the surro ...

(Peppermint Park / Wita Wirra), one of the southern parts of the

Adelaide Park Lands The Adelaide Park Lands are the figure-eight of land spanning both banks of the River Torrens between Hackney and Thebarton and separating the City of Adelaide area (which includes both Adelaide city centre and North Adelaide) from the surro ...

Adelaide, South Australia Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...

Location

It is located in

(Peppermint Park / Wita Wirra), one of the southern parts of the

. The entrance is from

South Terrace South Terrace may refer to: *South Terrace, Adelaide, Australia *South Terrace, Fremantle, Australia {{Road disambiguation ...

, between Pulteney and

Hutt Street Hutt Street is the easternmost of the five major north–south roads running through the City of Adelaide. It runs from Pirie Street to South Terrace, from where it continues south as Hutt Road. Flanked by leafy side streets with many late 19th ...

History

The garden was originally designed by council staff, in consultation with the Adelaide Japanese community, after Adelaide and

entered a

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

relationship in 1982. However, aspects of the garden's design were criticised, including its

cyclone fence A chain-link fence (also referred to as wire netting, wire-mesh fence, chain-wire fence, cyclone fence, hurricane fence, or diamond-mesh fence) is a type of woven fence usually made from galvanized or linear low-density polyethylene-coated st ...

and lack of attention to detail. In 1986–, Japanese landscape designer Yoshitaka Kumada drew up plans to refurbish the garden, which included the purchase of trees and shrubs from

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, and stones from near Adelaide. After a

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...

ground-breaking ceremony in May 1987, the works began, with Kumada himself overseeing the project. The little lake was reshaped, the

Sea of Sand ''Sea of Sand'' (released in the US as ''Desert Patrol'') is a 1958 British war film starring Richard Attenborough, John Gregson and Michael Craig (actor), Michael Craig. The film, which was directed by Guy Green (filmmaker), Guy Green, is abou ...

was expanded, and the garden filled with carefully selected plants and ornamentation to complement the granite Okunoin lantern gifted by the City of Himeji in 1985. The redesign was finally implemented completely in 1989, but Kumada continued to visit each year during the early 1990s, tweaking details and teaching techniques to the council gardeners.

Description

Many of Kumada's design principles are still in evidence. The paving stones are of a size that compels an adult walker to slow down. The garden is split into a '' sansui'' (山水), a "mountain and lake garden", and a ''

kare-sansui The or Japanese rock garden, often called a zen garden, is a distinctive style of Japanese garden. It creates a miniature stylized landscape through carefully composed arrangements of rocks, water features, moss, pruned trees and bushes, and us ...

'' (枯山水), a "dry rock garden", intended to evoke mountains surrounded by water, even the sea. The council's

horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

team still use the techniques taught by Kumada himself, handed down as staff moved on. Maintenance of the Sea of Sand demands careful attention, to retain its basic pattern, showing waves coming into those islands and straight lines for the ocean.

References

{{coord, -34.935721, 138.609762, format=dms, display=title Asian-Australian culture in South Australia Parks in Adelaide Japanese gardens in Australia South Terrace, Adelaide