Monday, October 6, 1997
Serenity and symbolism
GARDEN: The flora and fauna of UCLA’s Hannah Carter Japanese
Gardens capture centuries of Japanese history and legend
By Dayna Michaelsen
Daily Bruin Contributor
Despite its proximity to campus, the Hannah Carter Japanese
Garden is a welcome oasis compared to the sometimes frantic pace of
life at UCLA.
Set on a terraced Bel-Air hillside, the garden is two acres of
Japanese vegetation, antiques and aesthetics.
Perhaps one of UCLA’s best-kept secrets, the garden was created
in 1961 by Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Guiberson. They employed the famous
Japanese architect Nagao Sakuai to design the garden as a tribute
to Gordon Guiberson’s mother.
In 1965, UC Regents chair Edward W. Carter donated the garden to
UCLA. A collector of 17th-century Dutch paintings, Carter was also
the founding president of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art,
where a gallery still bears his name.
The garden was named after Edward Carter’s wife, Hannah Carter.
Though Edward passed away last year, Hannah, who was a member of
the 1936 U.S. Olympic ski team, still lives in a home above the
garden and visits on occasion.
"She is an amazing woman," says Laura Doering, coordinator of
the Hannah Carter Japanese Garden.
Everyone from local school children to Ansel Adams has visited
the gardens. Adams photographed the gardens while visiting UCLA in
the 1960s. Doering calls the garden "One of the most respected
gardens in California" and mentions that it has appeared in various
magazines throughout the years. For those drawn to the beauty of
the garden, Doering also says that they are looking for volunteers
to fill a variety of positions.
The roots of the modern Japanese garden lie in the 6th century,
when Japan was privy to an influx of Chinese cultural ideas by way
of Korea. Japan’s culture and history quickly molded the garden
into something quite unique, however.
The gardens that are most known today for their delicacy almost
faced extinction in the 12th century when Japan’s aristocracy lost
power to the warrior caste. With the introduction of Zen Buddhism
from China in the 13th century, though, the gardens experienced
renewed popularity. A new dimension of religious symbolism gave the
garden even more depth and established it as a place of escape,
peace and meditation.
Nature is an overwhelming theme of the Japanese garden. The
garden itself is planned as a representation of nature in the space
allotted. Each object in the garden symbolizes an element of
nature. Mountains, forests and rivers all have a place in even the
smallest Japanese garden, some of which can be found in a small pot
on the windowsill of some Japanese homes.
After entering through a main gate styled after the famous
Ichida estate in Kyoto, Japan, visitors to the Hannah Carter
Japanese Garden come across a koi pond, a home to fish that date
back to the garden’s creation in the early 1960s. These koi lurk
beneath large rocks imported from Japan, as were many of the
important symbolic artifacts in the garden.
These large rocks in the koi pond represent islands and, with no
stepping stones or bridges leading to them, they represent an
escape from the human world. A pamphlet and map given to visitors
at the gate describes the deeper meaning of these and other
conventions of the Japanese garden.
Every detail in the garden is planned with close attention to
symbolism, aesthetics and tradition. For example, it is said that
when one walks over two large rectangular rocks called
devil-casting stones, their zig-zag pattern may trick any pursuing
devils into falling into the water.
During the Edo period of Japanese history, the "strolling
garden" gained popularity. Artful and symbolic artifacts were
hidden throughout the garden for the strollers to discover and
contemplate.
Haiku poet Matsuo Basho honored the hidden when he wrote, "If
everything is expressed, what remains?"
Artifacts and symbolic objects nest artfully throughout the
manicured garden. Many of the stone statues, pagodas, lanterns and
other antiques date back several centuries. A stone carving of the
Buddha in 16 different prayer positions that dates back to over
1,000 years ago is just one of the many hidden treasures of the
Hannah Carter Japanese Garden.
Other attractions include a traditional teahouse and a series of
bridges that cross the streams and ponds, which are fed by the
waterfalls that run down the landscaped hills. These and other
Japanese architectural artifacts were imported from Japan and
reassembled in the garden by Japanese artisans.
Visitors to the Hannah Carter Japanese Garden are transported to
a place of natural serenity and beauty. This is one of the rare
places in Los Angeles where the sound of a trickling waterfall
drowns out the roar of traffic.
GARDENS: The UCLA Hannah Carter Japanese Garden is located on
10619 Bellagio Road in Bel-Air. Admission to the garden is free.
Reservations are required. For more information, call (310)
825-4574.
A bridge spans the scenic gardens.
Rocks in the pond signify an escape from the human world.
GENEVIEVE LIANG/Daily Bruin
The Hannah Carter Japanese Gardens in Bel Air feature rocks,
hills, ponds, fish and artifacts which represent natural harmony.
Strategic placement of these features symbolizes aspects of
nature.