Shakkei (borrowed scenery)

The idea of shakkei in Japanese gardens is to use the background landscape as an element that makes part of the garden. The idea of borrowed scenery is a concept that has been done in Japanese gardens for centuries. It gives the illusion that the garden is bigger than it really is and it also symbolizes the harmony between the larger landscape and the nurtured garden. The borrowed views can be anything from a distant mountain, valley or lake. The garden is manipulated a lot of times by trimming some of the trees in the garden to frame the view of the distant mountain. The landscape in the background adds depth and perspective to the garden and it shows a hierarchy of elements in the garden going from small trees or bushes to bigger trees and then finally to the mountains in the back.