Ransho Garden
Overview
The Ransho Garden is a compact Japanese dry landscape garden in the central courtyard of the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy at Ghent University. Created by the City of Kanazawa for the 2016 Ghent Floralies, it was subsequently donated to Ghent and reconstructed at the university. Its stone-and-gravel composition symbolically combines the landscapes and cultural identities of Kanazawa and Ghent, commemorating the long-standing sister-city relationship between the two cities.
History
The garden was originally created as Kanazawa’s contribution to the Ghent Floralies, held from 22 April to 1 May 2016, when Japan was the festival’s guest of honour. The project coincided with the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Belgium and Japan and the 45th anniversary of the Ghent–Kanazawa sister-city partnership, established in 1971.
After the Floralies, the garden was donated by Kanazawa City and transferred from the Bijloke festival site to the courtyard of Ghent University’s Blandijn complex, home to the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy and its Japanese Studies programme. All principal materials, including the gravel, had been transported from Japan.
The reconstructed garden was formally inaugurated on 20 October 2016 in the presence of Kanazawa mayor Yukiyoshi Yamano, Japanese ambassador Masafumi Ishii and faculty dean Marc Boone. Instead of cutting a ceremonial ribbon, the mayor cut a branch positioned at the garden entrance.
Design features
The garden is a contemporary karesansui, composed principally of gravel, large rocks and a small water basin. The gravel represents flowing water, while the larger stones evoke the banks of a river. The composition refers both to Kanazawa’s renowned garden culture, particularly Kenroku-en, and to the broader relationship between Kanazawa and Ghent.
Several yellow-toned stones refer to Kanazawa’s traditional gold-leaf industry, one of the crafts for which the city is internationally recognised. They also symbolise the potential for continuing cultural and creative exchange between the two sister cities.
A prominent circular stone containing water represents Kanazawa’s 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, whose circular architectural form and water-based installations are condensed into a single symbolic garden element. The feature introduces a reference to contemporary creativity alongside the garden’s more traditional stone-and-gravel vocabulary.
The name Ransho, written in Japanese as 濫觴, refers to the beginning or origin of something significant. It derives from a saying associated with Confucius: even a great river begins as a stream shallow enough to hold a cup. The name therefore presents the garden as a starting point for further academic, cultural and civic exchange.
Garden elements
Stones
Current status
The garden remains in the courtyard of Ghent University’s Blandijn complex and continues to serve as a symbol of cooperation between Ghent and Kanazawa. It is maintained in association with the university and its Japanese Studies community. Access is linked to the opening and security arrangements of the university building.