Today we visited the Nitobe Memorial Garden on UBC campus, situated on the unceded territory of the Musqueam people. We were fortunate to be guided through the garden by Tsubasa, who shared his understanding of Japanese gardens as an art form and his extensive knowledge of the symbolic design of the Nitobe Garden.
The garden celebrates the life of Inazo Nitobe (1862-1933), a Japanese man whose life goal was to become a bridge across the Pacific Ocean, and strived to promote a better understanding of Japan and Japanese culture. He was well respected in Japan and in the 1980s was placed upon the 5000 yen bill. The garden was designed to reflect his goal in the art form which is the Japanese garden.
Tsubasa informed us that Japanese gardens are a form of art using three types of natural elements - stones, water, and plants. Japanese gardens tend to be asymmetrical to reflect nature’s forms. There are three styles of Japanese gardens. Typical gardens feature ponds and streams. Classical gardens are dry and rely on stones to represent natural forms, even water. Tea house gardens feature a tea house as a central element, where the traditional tea ceremonies are held. Tsubasa mentioned how Japan used to have a very defined hierarchical society, and the tea house was the one place where this rigid social stratification could be forgotten. He further explained why the door was so small, that those who entered would have to bow to show respect as they entered the house, as well the samurai (those at the top of the social hierarchy) would have to remove their swords to be able to enter.
The Nitobe garden is a typical Japanese garden featuring a pond and small stream, with a tea house located near the end. Tsubasa led us on a tour of the garden, walking counter-clockwise. He explained that the trail of stones represents the human life-cycle, beginning as a baby. The tall trees that tower over the trail invoke the feeling of being a toddler and looking up at one’s surroundings. One approaches a stone monument called the Father Lantern which symbolizes the guidance of a father to light the child’s path through life. The animals that adorn the top of the monument represent the zodiac symbols of Asian culture and help lead people by pointing in different directions, adding to this symbolism of guiding the traveler through the garden (life).
After crossing a small stream and rounding a bend in the garden one approaches a straight path with a smaller stone lantern monument to the side. This is the Mother Lantern which can watch over and cast light for the traveler as they walk across the entire straight path. This represents a mother’s caring, guiding presence within traditional family structure. Notably, the straight path is not within sight of the Father Lantern.
As you follow the straight path, you encounter three bridges, each with its own significance. The first bridge represents the bridging of cultures across the Pacific Ocean. On one side of the garden you find plants that are local to B.C. and on the other you find plants that are local to Japan. The second bridge Tsubasa referred to as the Early Marriage Bridge. At this stage of the path the traveler has entered adolescence. The bridge is small and unassuming and is not intended to attract the traveler to pass over it as much as the other ones. The bridge represents the possible challenges that may arise in life from hasty decisions. If you opt not to cross this bridge and continue walking you find two other pathways. By continuing straight, you eventually end up at a deadend overlooking the garden. This represents how as young adults one sometimes finds that you must change course and go back. In the garden, going back leads you to the third bridge, a zig-zagging wooden bridge whose shape is intended to leave behind any evil spirits that have hitherto been able to follow you along the straight path of adolescence and young adulthood.
Personal reflections on learning here
Scott
I really liked how the “natural” landscape of the garden was able to tell a story. I think this would be an interesting field trip for a class to take, and another way to show students just how multi-modal expression and storytelling can be. I felt like the designers of the garden were similar to my primary students playing and creating stories with loose parts or in their story studios. I really enjoyed how landscape and nature were used to express meaning.
Gideon
The Nitobe Memorial Garden is now the fourth garden we have experienced during our Community Field Experience. I was struck by how different this garden was from the food-growing Orchard Garden and the food- and play-oriented garden at Homma Elementary. I was also struck by how transformed my experience of Nitobe Memorial Garden was by virtue of Tsubasa’s insight. I was engaged by the symbolic story of an infant traveling along the path of life and it made me think of how effective this garden is as a teacher of the concept of symbolism that features in the Arts and English Language Arts curriculum. Teaching a grade 1/2 class during my practicum I learned how important it was to ground abstract concepts in visual and hands-on experiences. When led by a knowledgeable storyteller like Tsubasa, a tour of the Nitobe Memorial Garden is a highly effective field trip experience to introduce the concept of symbolism as it engages all of one’s senses. Perhaps if teaching the concept of symbolism beginning with a field trip to the garden, one could follow up by having a class co-construct idea prompts and then going out into the school garden and using found materials to try and represent an idea symbolically.
Peter
The Nitobe Garden is a place for focused reflection on nature and is striking in its tranquility. Very rarely have I been in a space that looks to mold the natural landscape to a designer's will but does not seem to do it aggressively. There is a harmony to the garden that I felt immediately upon entering, and the path you take as you meditate on the journey of life while set for you is inviting. This place, constructed for contemplation and learning about ones-self, could also be used to educate our students on subjects such as English or Science. What excites me most about the garden is the challenge of finding a way to bring its reflective philosophy into my practice as a teacher. Constructing a place focused on taking the time to reflect on life's journey is a powerful metaphor that I wish to bring into the classroom. A key aspect of self-regulated learning is metacognition. Metacognitive knowledge, as laid out by Butler, Schnellert, and Perry in Developing Self-Regulating Learners, centers around a learner reflecting on and learning about themselves and their own learning. The garden is a perfect metaphor for this reflective practice and inspires me to find ways to incorporate self-reflection in nature with my students.
No comments:
Post a Comment