Column 'Towards the Japanese Gardens of 2100' in the magazine 'Niwa NIWA'. Vol. 259 features Rurihiko Hara, known for the garden archive project 'The Never-Ending Garden Archive' and his book 'Suhama-ron'.

■ The magazine 'Niwa NIWA' vol. 259, featuring the column 'Towards the Japanese Gardens of 2100', is now on sale.

The specialized magazine for Japanese 'gardens', which has reached its 40th anniversary,'Niwa NIWA'. A column by Ito, editor of the garden information site 'Oniwasan', which has been running since 2023,'Towards the Japanese Gardens of 2100'. 2100 =To pass it on to the next generation after the next, it carries a meaning like 'what can I, as I am now, do for the next generation?'.

For the background on that, please read the following note.

The article regarding the previous vol. 257-8 is below. While hearing about labor shortages in society and the lack of successors even among gardeners,'Technical Intern Trainees in Cultural Property Gardens' was the focus.

■ The focus of vol. 259, released in April 2025, is Rurihiko Hara, author of 'Suhama-ron' and 'Around Japanese Gardens: The Possibilities of Digital Archives'.

This column has often been about going to hear stories on themes like'issues' and 'solutions'—but this time, I changed the tone a bit and went to meet someone I more purely 'wanted to talk to'. Rurihiko Hara, who works on the Japanese garden digital archive project
'The Never-Ending Garden Archive / Garden Archive Project', and who won the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists for his book'Suhama-ron'.Rurihiko Hara.

Not limited to Mr. Hara's project,'Digital Archives of Japanese Gardens'itself is one of the initiatives that will be necessary in the future among the issues surrounding Japanese gardens (something necessary not only for Japanese gardens but in all fields). So, we talk about that a lot in the article as well.

But this interview was offered more out of the curiosity of'What kind of person is Mr. Hara, anyway?'

As you can see from his career and achievements on 'researchmap' mentioned above, he is an 'expert' on 'Japanese gardens' academically (Associate Professor, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Shizuoka University / Ph.D. in Academic Studies / Completed doctoral program at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo), but he is not a so-called 'professor who appears in garden magazines'.

Therefore, he might be unexpectedly unknown to those in the 'garden industry/landscaping industry'.

However,'Bijutsu Techo'is there any other 'Japanese garden expert' who appears in art magazines likethat besides Rurihiko Hara? For those who view 'Japanese gardens' from an art perspective, Rurihiko Hara is the currently recognized 'Japanese garden expert'. The aforementioned
'The Never-Ending Garden Archive / Garden Archive Project'is also a project withYCAM (Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media), which is popular/highly regarded in the media art field of contemporary Japanese art. For those who love media art, YCAM is quite an object of admiration!!!

Looking at the reactions of people overseas... I sometimes think that 'Japanese gardens' are perceived as one work/genre of'Oriental Art'.

For such needs, there may not be many people approaching it from an art background or art history perspective (?). Rurihiko Hara is a rare, unique, and interesting presence who approaches Japanese gardens from such aspects (what he calls a 'humanities' approach).

It was an offer born from the curiosity of 'What kind of person is he???'

...No, but I wondered if it was okay to introduce him in a column like mine??? I thought maybe a more proper section would be better (laughs), but in'Around Japanese Gardens: The Possibilities of Digital Archives' (Hayakawa Shinsho), he even mentioned 'Oniwasan' briefly, and he kindly accepted. I have written that he is unique, but he is much more friendly than I imagined (laughs), and yet, naturally, he has a wealth of knowledge in fields different from so-called 'landscape architects', so it was incredibly interesting...

Also, there is an article like the following in the note article where Rurihiko Hara appears!

■ The influence Ryuichi Sakamoto had on the 'garden' scene?

...And, I would like you to read the magazine 'Niwa NIWA' for the detailed story of such Rurihiko Hara. Among that, an episode that might be unique for a garden magazine, but is interesting, is the point that 'one of the people who influenced Rurihiko Hara's activities regarding Japanese gardens was Ryuichi Sakamoto' (to put it roughly). It's not just that he 'liked him and was influenced', but he reflects on various things, such as episodes of the teachings he received from Ryuichi Sakamoto himself.

Ryuichi Sakamoto and Japanese gardens. In recent years, Ryuichi Sakamoto's installation has been exhibited at the 'Sesshu Garden' of the national designated cultural property garden'Joeiji Temple' in Yamaguchi City. Furthermore, 'Joeiji Temple' also appears in Mr. Hara'sgarden archive project.

■ How can gardens rise again to the stage as art?

…It sounds cliché to put it into words like 'how can gardens get back into the ring as art,' but to put it simply, that is truly what I think…

It must have been that way once.
Following the point that 'Hara's project is featured in art magazines,' why have 'landscape architects, gardeners,' and 'garden experts' been unable to get onto that stage until now, and why have others failed to do so?Even though 'architecture and architects' are perceived as part of art, why have 'gardens' ceased to be considered in that same light?

I don't want to blame the past, but I do believe that Japanese gardens/gardens have an aspect as art, andif there is a cause or reason for that, I want to resolve those issues and 'get them onto the stage.'That is what I think.

Within the Japanese art scene, Hara-san has taken action with 'Japanese gardens'—a field he has cultivated and deepened since his student days—as his specialty, and he has gained a certain level of recognition.
If Hara-san can serve as a catalyst for 'Japanese gardens' to strengthen their connection with the 'art world,' I think that would be wonderful, and perhaps his success will provide a hint to resolving my own question of 'why did it end up this way?'

…I don't know if one should
《consciously seek out》
such evaluation from the 'art world' (and how one would go about doing that),
or whether
《behaving in that way is good or bad.》(There are'creator-focused'and'work-focused'perspectives, and in my case, it is the work-focused perspective of 'can't gardens be evaluated/perceived more as art works?')

Furthermore,
in reality, there is no need to《act like contemporary art》,
and authentic Japanese gardens/gardeners are also very creative…I think those who know, know, and from the perspective of the overseas crowd who appreciate 'Japanese gardens as East Asian art,' they are seeking authentic gardeners.

But, for example, within Japan, if you ask if'Muroo Art Forest'and'Muro-ji Temple'are on the same playing field, it doesn't quite feel like it… though having said that, these two examples are also complex; the former has an aspect as an art work, but might feel more like a 'park,' and Muro-ji Temple might actually be perceived more as 'ancient art.'

What was I trying to say… so, as much as possible, 'Oniwa-san' wants to'talk about this garden as a work, and this landscape as a work' together,and I try to keep that in mind.
'La Collina Omihachiman'I hope a flow can be created where people who became interested in Terunobu Fujimori from'Fujimori Tea House'in Chino come to like it, and from there visit'Honjin Iwanami House','Jiun-ji Temple'.

…It ended up dragging on a bit. Anyway, I am interested in Hara-san's future activities and how he will be evaluated, and I want to keep watching!

■ Next Issue Preview

Above, I wrote《'The way Japanese people look at Japanese gardens' and 'the way people overseas look at Japanese gardens' are really different.》but regarding what it's actually like, in the next issue, I am interviewing'people involved with Japanese gardens overseas.'

And that person also said, 'I want to expand friendships with people involved in Japan,' and Hara-san also said something like, 'There might still be a distance, but I want to close that distance.'
Right now, everyone is a little distant, but by gradually filling that in, I hope something like[a more interesting Japanese garden scene]can be created.

Also, this isn't about the talk in 'NIWA,' but my conversation with Hara-san is also scheduled to appear in the next column…!