Composition of scenery in Japanese pre-modern gardens and the three distances of Guo Xi.

The article discusses the influence of the Chinese painter Guo Xi's landscape paintings on early modern Japanese garden design. An overview of the role that space played within Guo Xi's paintings is provided. The distances portrayed within the Chinese landscape paintings, including what are referred to as high distance, deep distance and level distance, are discussed. An overview of the Chinese influence on Japanese gardens, including in the 16th century rock garden at Daisen-in, Japan, is also provided.