From rock formations to water features and raked gravel, these photos reveal the beauty of the Japanese garden ...

All the works in the background of the painting are Japanese images. The blossom scene in the upper-right corner is Hiroshige's Ishiyakushi: The Yoshitsune Cherry Tree near the Noriyori Shrine (1855).

The classical Japanese garden is a landscape, artificially contrived, and redolent of symbolism. Contour and contrast are everything; color is unimportant, except for a small accent.