{{coord, 26.42751, -80.147385, display=title The Roji-en: Garden of the Drops of Dew, The George D. and Harriet W. Cornell Japanese Gardens consists of six gardens representing different periods in the development of the

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 ...

. It occupies 16 acres (6.5 hectares) of the

Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens is a center for Japanese arts and culture located west of Delray Beach in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The campus includes two museum buildings, the Roji-en Japanese Gardens: Garden of th ...

Morikami Park Morikami Park is a park in Palm Beach County, Florida. The park is named for George Morikami, a Japanese immigrant to Florida who donated the land for the park to the county. It is the site of the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens The Mor ...

in suburban

Delray Beach Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population of Delray Beach as of April 1, 2020 was 66,846 according to the 2020 United States Census. Located 52 miles (83 kilometers) north of Miami, Delray Beach is in the ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. The gardens are open to the public, but closed Mondays and major holidays. Access to the gardens is included in the admission fee to the museum. Today's gardens form one of the largest Japanese gardens in the world. They were designed by

Hoichi Kurisu is a noted designer of Japanese gardens, active in the United States. Kurisu studied landscape design and construction under Kenzo Ogata in Tokyo, Japan. He then was Landscape director for the Garden Society of Japan (Nihon Teien Kyokai) (1968� ...

and constructed between 1999 and 2001 in

, a 200-acre (80 hectare) site donated by

George Morikami Sukeji "George" Morikami (November 4, 1886 – February 29, 1976) was a Japanese immigrant to the United States who farmed in Palm Beach County, Florida, for more than 65 years. He donated his 200 acres (80 hectares) of farm land to Palm Beach Cou ...

Palm Beach County Palm Beach County is a county located in the southeastern part of Florida and lies directly north of Broward County and Miami-Dade County. The county had a population of 1,492,191 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous county ...

and

in 1973. The Roji-en gardens are part of the

, reported to be the only museum in the United States dedicated to the living culture of Japan.The Morikami Japanese Museum and Gardens: Gardens: Overview
- retrieved July 16, 2006 A survey conducted in 2004 by the ''Journal of Japanese Gardening'' ranked the Morikami gardens as the eighth highest-quality public Japanese garden in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

The Six Gardens

A mile-long path leads through six different Japanese gardens, representing six periods of Japanese garden design between the eighth and 20th centuries. The grounds feature pine trees, bamboo groves, waterfalls and large granite boulders. * Shinden Gardens

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...

(9th - 12th centuries); aristocratic gardens patterned after

Chinese garden The Chinese garden is a landscape garden style which has evolved over three thousand years. It includes both the vast gardens of the Chinese emperors and members of the imperial family, built for pleasure and to impress, and the more intimate ...

s, featuring ponds and islands. * Paradise Gardens (13th and 14th century); influenced by

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

teachings, and incorporating hills, ponds and islands. Similar to the Shinden Gardens but on a smaller scale. * Early Rock Gardens - abstracted vegetation and water, with rock arrangements to represent waterfalls and streambeds. * Late Rock Gardens - (15th century) ''

karesansui 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 ...

'' gardens almost entirely constructed of gravel, stone and sand. * Flat Gardens - (16th and 17th century) ''

shakkei Borrowed scenery (; Japanese: ; Chinese: ) is the principle of "incorporating background landscape into the composition of a garden" found in traditional East Asian garden design. The term borrowing of scenery ("shakkei") is Chinese in origin, an ...

'', or borrowed landscape. * Modern Romantic Gardens - (

Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

period and later) stroll gardens influenced by Western European gardens.Gardens of the Morikami
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Chie no Wa - Wisdom Ring

As one exits the Museum center to begin the tour, one encounters the Chie no Wa Wisdom Ring—a replica of a 500-year-old stone lantern in

Miyazu 270px, Miyazu City Hall is a city located in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 16,988 in 8348 households and a population density of 98 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Miyazu is loca ...

, Delray Beach’s sister city in Japan. The original Wisdom Ring, or Chie no Wa in Japanese, stands at a temple dedicated to the

deity of wisdom, Monju. The citizens of Miyazu donated the replica in 1997 to commemorate Morikami Museum’s 20th anniversary. File:Chie-no-wa toro.jpg, The wisdom ring in Miyasu File:露時園 Roji-en 2016 (28676884724).jpg, Wisdom Ring at the far right

James and Hazel Gates Woodruff Memorial Bridge

The James and Hazel Gates Woodruff Memorial Bridge was erected by U.S. Naval commander James G. Woodruff, (a Pearl Harbor veteran) in memory of his wife, Hazel, a lover of Japanese gardens. The bridge stands at the entrance to the gardens and symbolizes the link between Japan and the state of Florida. File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - View of Shinden Gardens and Bridge.jpg, Lake, Islands and Bridge File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Shinden Garden Island and Bridge.jpg, Shinden Garden Island and Bridge File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Shinden Garden Island Bridge.jpg, James and Hazel Gates Woodruff Memorial Bridge

Shinden Garden

File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Shinden Garden Sign.jpg, Shinden Garden Sign File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Flowering Plant in Shinden Garden Island.jpg, Flowering Plant File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - View of Japanese Tea House across lake from Shinden Garden Island.jpg, View of Japanese Tea House across lake File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - View Towards Tea House 01.jpg, View Towards Tea House File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - View of Museum Center from Shinden Garden Island.jpg, View of Museum Center from Island File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Detail of Garden Trees and Shrubbery in Shinden Island.jpg, Detail of Garden Trees and Shrubbery File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Shinden Garden Pine Tree Root Pattern.jpg, Pattern of Tree Roots Flattened By Continued Human Stepping File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Kodai-mon.jpg, Kodai-mon or "Ancient Gate" at entrance to Bamboo Grove File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Bamboo Grove View.jpg, View of Tea House from Bamboo Grove File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Guava Tree and Green Fruits.jpg, Guava Tree and Green Fruits File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Green Iguana.jpg, Green Iguana File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Tree-Covered Gravel Path.jpg, Tree-Covered Gravel Path

Paradise Garden

File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Paradise Garden Sign.jpg, Paradise Garden Sign File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - View of Paradise Garden.jpg, View of Pond and Trees File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Paradise Garden Path.jpg, Garden Path File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Shishi Odoshi Filling Up With Water.jpg, Shishi Odoshi or "Deer Chaser" Filling Up with Water File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Shishi Odoshi Emptying Water.jpg, Shishi Odoshi Emptying

Early Rock Garden

File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Early Rock Garden Sign.jpg, Early Rock Garden Sign File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Early Stone Garden Lantern.jpg, Stone Lantern File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Early Stone Garden.jpg, Early Rock Garden

Karesansui Late Rock Garden

File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Late Rock Garden Sign.jpg, Late Rock Garden Sign File:Morikami Museum View of Grounds Garden.jpg, Path Leading from Garden File:Morikami Museum View of Grounds (Rock Garden).jpg, View Towards Entrance of Garden Enclosure File:Morikami Rock Garden.jpg, Gravel and Rocks Representing Islands and Ocean File:Morikami Museum - Late Rock Garden - Tiles on Walls.jpg, View of Tiles Protecting Walls of Enclosure File:Morikami Museum - Late Rock Garden - View from Ground Level.jpg, View from Ground Level Towards Enclosure Entrance File:Morikami Museum - Icaco Tree Growing next to Late Rock Garden.jpg, Icaco tree with white fruits growing next to Late Rock Garden File:Morikami Museum - Late Rock Garden - View from Ground Level Towards Back Wall.jpg, View from Entrance of Enclosure to Back Walls

Hiraniwa Flat Rock Garden

File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Hiraniwa - Flat Garden Sign.jpg, Hiraniwa Flat Garden Sign File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - View of Back Wall of Hiraniwa Flat Garden.jpg, View of Back Wall File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Hiraniwa Flat Garden 01.jpg, Stone Lantern and Pine Tree File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Hiraniwa Flat Garden 02.jpg, General View Sunny File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Hiraniwa Flat Garden 03.jpg, View of Flat Garden File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - General View of Hiraniwa Flat Garden.jpg, General View Cloudy

Modern Romantic Gardens

File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Modern Romantic Garden Sign.jpg, Modern Romantic Garden Sign File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Modern Romantic Gardens 03.jpg, Creek and Plants File:Morikami Museum View of Grounds Waterview.jpg, View of Creek and Plants File:Morikami Museum View of Grounds Water.jpg, Pond Viewed Through Plants File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Modern Romantic Gardens 05.jpg, Pond and Stone Lantern File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Modern Romantic Gardens 04.jpg, Seating Bench and Pond File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Modern Romantic Gardens 06.jpg, Creek Flowing Into Pond File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Modern Romantic Gardens 01.jpg, Wooden Plank Bridge over Creek File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Modern Romantic Gardens 07.jpg, Cascading Waterfall File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Modern Romantic Gardens 08.jpg, View of Plank Bridge from Above File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Modern Romantic Gardens 09.jpg, Stone Lantern and Waterfall File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Modern Romantic Gardens 02.jpg, Flowing Creek and Plants

Yamato Island

File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Hotei the Buddha.jpg, Hotei (Buddha) the god of Happiness File:Morikami Museum Bridge.jpg, Yamato-kan Bridge File:Morikami Museum View of Grounds Bonzai.jpg, Stone Lantern at Entrance to Bonzai Garden File:Morikami Bonzai Garden.jpg, Bonzai Garden File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Bonsai 01.jpg, Cypress File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Bonsai 02.jpg, Tamarind File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Bonsai 03.jpg, Bonsai Trees File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Bonsai 04.jpg, Seagrape File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Bonsai 05.jpg, Dwarf Schefflera File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Koi and Turtles in Pond 01.jpg, Koi and Turtles in Pond File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Koi and Turtles in Pond 02.jpg, Koi and Turtles File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Koi and Turtles and Papyrus Reeds.jpg, Koi and Turtles and Papyrus Reeds File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Tamarind Tree and Tea House.jpg, Tamarind Tree and Tea House File:Morikami Museum and Gardens - Interior Garden of Tea House.jpg, Interior Rock and Sand Garden of Tea House File:Morikami Tea House.jpg, Interior Garden

Garden construction phases

Today's gardens were built in two phases. Phase One (completed in 1999) built the Yamato-kan pavilion, an historic

stone lantern are a type of traditional East Asian lantern made of stone, wood, or metal. Originating in China, stone lanterns spread to Japan, Korea and Vietnam, though they are most commonly found in both China – extant in Buddhist temples and traditional ...

, a ''

tsukubai In Japan, a is a washbasin provided at the entrance to a holy place for visitors to purify themselves by the ritual washing of hands and rinsing of the mouth. This type of ritual cleansing is the custom for guests attending a tea ceremony o ...

'' (water basin),

bonsai Bonsai ( ja, 盆栽, , tray planting, ) is the Japanese art of growing and training miniature trees in pots, developed from the traditional Chinese art form of ''penjing''. Unlike ''penjing'', which utilizes traditional techniques to produce ...

display, Allen S. Austin Memorial Waterfall (designed by Carn Reid), a

kame shima A kame, or ''knob'', is a glacial landform, an irregularly shaped hill or mound composed of sand, gravel and till that accumulates in a depression on a retreating glacier, and is then deposited on the land surface with further melting of the g ...

(turtle island), a Challenger Memorial Lantern, Yamato Island, the Morikami Falls, the Wisdom Ring, a dry creek garden and part of the seven acre (2.8 hectare) lake. The ishidoro lantern was originally erected in 1681 at Toshogu Shrine in Edo as a memorial to Ietsuna, the fourth Tokugawa shōgun. The Wisdom Ring is a replica of a stone lantern (ishidoro) located in Delray Beach's sister city in Japan,

. Phase Two (completed 2001) opened the six gardens.