• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.57-67
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• 2012

This study draws the following conclusions about the nature garden culture with crane that is a dynamic landscaping factor introduced into nature garden by analyzing the literatures on cranes written and landscapes painted in Chosun Dynasty. First, crane symbolizes such Buddhist, Taoist and Confucius media as appearance of Buddha, desire for Taoist hermit world and long life, and a solitary's life of proud loneliness. It has been recorded that crane was raised from the Three Nations Era till the Japanese occupation and Confucius scholars in Chosun Dynasty opened shows concerning crane or formed literature groups enjoying poems of it, and often using crane as their denial of going into government service. Second, in order to introduce crane to nature garden, people caught wild crane and made a fence and some kind of pond for their growth. In addition, crane was strictly managed by appointed slaves and they trained crane for dancing and then tended to allow a crane to play on the yard in terms of abstract meaning or got two cranes free in consideration of their ecology. Third, for more appreciation of crane and the expression of some symbolism matching for it, both plum and pine, which mean a solitary's life and long life respectively, were planted in nature garden. And, Confucius scholars in Chosun Dynasty also enjoyed their refined tastes with appreciation, napping, reading and playing the harp, accompanied by crane. As aforementioned, Confucius scholars in Chosun Dynasty did not only draw the meaning symbolized by cranes and write poems about such symbolic meaning, but also positively introduce crane into nature garden as a dynamic landscaping factor, so that they enjoyed synesthetic senses including looks, motions and sounds of cranes for their refined tastes.