Most Japanese gardens are enclosed by design. Sometimes this is simply due to the restricted nature of an urban environment, but more often the enclosure is used as a casing trim.
The garden designer uses this frame to control how the garden will be appreciated and to what degree the surroundings will be incorporated into it. If not for the enclosure, the garden would be juxtaposed against its surroundings and the subtle scale relationships within it would break down. The enclosure allows for the garden to be viewed as an independent work of art—for instance, the kare-san-sui of the Zen temples which are viewed like framed picture.
- Older: Natural Japanese gardens