A Lesson in Mental Scenery: Shinjuku Gyoen

Mental scenery is what one imagines with one's heart, and the scenes that float in one’s mind. I think emotions are projected onto actual scenery.

The famous artist Kaii Higashiyama, before he became a landscape painter, experienced exactly this feeling.

During the war Kaii was in the special forces. He was trained in demolitions, specifically how to use bombs to attack tanks. One day during training, he climbed Kumamoto castle to help organize controlled burns of surrounding fields and forests.

While from what he could see from the castle was spectacular, to a man such as Kaii who had always traveled, it was not a rare sight. But one day tears suddenly overwhelmed his eyes.

Why was the sky so clear and distant, the mountain ranges calm, the green of the plains shining, and the trees of the forests in perfect harmony?

Surely he had seen scenery this beautiful before. Perhaps he had even seen such beauty in everyday life. Why didn’t he write about that? With this experience he had lost not only the drive to paint but also the will to live.

Before long, World War II concluded. At this time he began to walk the path of a Japanese artist. He soon emerged as a prominent national artist. This was exemplified when he received the Order of Culture, an honor conferred by the Emperor of Japan. Kaii traversed Japan by foot leaving behind reflections of Japanese people's hearts in his scenic paintings.

Take for example his classic work titled, “Michi” or road. You can get a sense of strong will from his sketches of ranches on the coast of Aowamori Prefecture in Hachinohe-City. In the painting you don’t know what is beyond the road he has depicted, you just have to walk forward.

Higashiyama Kaii left these words.

“Landscapes are the prayer of the human heart, a mirror of the heart. Ordinary landscapes are also full of life if your heart is pure.”

You put your heart on the landscapes you meet. His depiction is none other than a description of “the journey to discover mental scenery”. It is imagine the tough and well honed mental state of someone in the special forces such as Kai, but ordinary people should still be able to pick up on the hints that reflect mental scenery.

In order to find mental scenery, it is essential to know the context of the scene in front of you. To know the story, to be able to see the changing colors of the landscape. Unexpectedly, in knowing a new story or piece of information about a place your mental state can change and you may see scenery you were never able to see before.That is the lesson of mental scenery.

Portrayal of one’s mental scenery is not just limited to artists. Think about the mental images of those haiku artists, poets, or those of our current age who portray their mental scenery in animation, such as the director Makoto Shinkai.

In Makoto Shinkai’s film “The Garden of Words”, the scene is set in Shinjuku Gyoen during the rainy season. The movie is reputed to be more beautiful than the reality, and if you haven't viewed the film yet you should definitely take a watch it after your visit here. It beautifully rewrites everyday scenery. That is the strength of animation.

If you look at Shinjuku Gyoen historically, the place is similar to a botanical encyclopedia, which has gathered both domestic and foreign plants. Trees that melt into the landscape, with each one having a unique story. With spring, summer, fall, winter all representing the beauties of nature in seasonal changes. It is the only one of the three national gardens, and many feel that the citizens’ hearts are symbolized in the nature of its landscapes.

How do you see the scenery of Shinjuku Gyouen?

The landscape painter Kaii Higashiyama left these words, “Landscapes are the prayer of the human heart, a mirror of the heart. Ordinary landscapes are also full of life if your heart is pure”. You put your heart on the landscapes you meet. His description must be referring to “the journey to discover mental scenery”.

Now, in looking for mental scenery, what should you do? First you must know the context of the scene in front of you. In knowing a new story about a place your mental state can change and you may come view the scenes in front of you in a different light. That is the lesson of mental scenery. How do you see the scenery of Shinjuku Gyoen?