Analysis on Four types of Japanese garden Built in Korea during Japanese Occupation

Abstract

There are remains of Japanese gardens in Korea which were built during Japanese occupation in 1910 -1945. However, systematic database has not been established for location, quantity, nor types of remaining gardens. This study is aimed at defining current status of Japanese gardens built in Korea. By categorizing types of remaining these Japanese gardens, we also aimed to build a systematic data base for Japanese gardens in Korea. This study was co-conducted by researchers from Korea and Japan. The team identified 17 Japanese gardens remaining in South Korea and categorized them into 4 groups; 1) Japanese garden built by Japanese in modern Japanese house in South Korea, 2) Japanese garden built by Korean in traditional Korean garden and 3) Garden built by Japanese in temples in Korea. (at request by Koreans). This categorization reveals information about the inflow of Japanese gardening culture into Korea and deserves to be an important part of modern gardening History. And the rest are 4) Japanese gardens built at Korean residence, but with much damage and alternation. In this paper, we present the findings to serve as preliminary data for defining Korean traditional gardens and for utilizing Japanese gardens in Korea as historical and cultural infrastructure.