.jpg)
In his book The Japanese Tea Garden, Marc Peter Keane explains that there are several ways to write the word roji. The oldest form simply meant 'alleyway', but later forms such as that shown here translate as 'dewy ground' or 'dewy path', which better indicates the overall peaceful atmosphere that the roji designers were trying to achieve - a pathway set in a landscape of dark and damp evergreen forests, mountains and rugged river valleys.
Achieving such a feeling requires a considerable degree of artifice. Planting will be naturalistic and subdued, with an emphasis on evergreen shrubs and trees such as pines and extensive use of moss as ground cover. Rocks will be used to suggest a rugged landscape. There will be a gently curving path, and often side paths, so that vistas are limited and there is a process of discovery as one walks through the garden. The path will usually be made from stepping stones (tobi-shi), carefully arranged to control the pace of progress through the garden and where appropriate to slow the pace to enjoy a particular view or other aspect of the garden.
A roji will typically be divided into two (or sometimes even three) sections, divided by a largely symbolic bamboo fence. The outer section will usually be more sparsely planted and airier than the inner roji and will contain a covered bench or arbour (machiai) where the guests will wait to be invited in. The middle gate (chū-mon) may be quite an elaborate roofed affair and is where the host will greet his guests.
next