Kiku Bachi – Japanese Garden, Portland, Oregon

Water is one of the most important features of a Japanese garden. Water symbolizes purity it gives the whole garden a touch of freshness. Practically all water features in a Japanese garden are inspired by nature. Japanese gardeners revere the look and sound of water. The water can be in motion as in a streams which represents the journey through life. Sometimes the water is collected in a still pond designed to reflect other features of the garden or the moon when it is full.

Other water elements are of a more practical nature, for example, stone water basins. Stone basins – often with bamboo dippers (hishaku) – were introduced hundreds of years ago at temples for purification purposes. Basins they are found in the vast majority of Japanese gardens from the tiniest examples through to the Tea garden where they are used for guests to cleanse their hands and faces before attending the ceremony. A water basin carved in the shape of a Chrysanthemum flower is called a Kiku bachi in Japanese. A bamboo spout (kakei) delivers water to the basin, either by collecting rain water or by means of a pump.