Explore the Kay McFarland
Japanese Garden
The Kay McFarland Japanese Garden is a tranquil oasis that combines traditional Japanese design elements with the natural beauty of Kansas. This serene space invites visitors to experience harmony, reflection, and connection with nature.
As you stroll through the garden, you'll encounter artfully designed landscapes that showcase the elegance of Japanese horticulture, from meticulously raked gravel to vibrant seasonal blooms. The garden's features, including koi ponds, a traditional tea house, and stone lanterns, offer inspiration for creating peaceful outdoor spaces and embracing the principles of balance and simplicity.
The garden is divided into distinct areas, each with its own charm and purpose. Discover the symbolism of the elements, learn about the artistry behind Japanese gardening, and immerse yourself in the calming atmosphere. A detailed map is available to guide your journey, ensuring you don’t miss a single feature.
Whether you’re seeking a moment of quiet contemplation or an inspiring cultural experience, the Kay McFarland Japanese Garden welcomes you. We hope to see you soon!
Japanese Garden Elements
Crane Gate is the preferred entry into the garden, giving way to the upper sacred garden area.
In Japanese gardens everything is balanced. Before crossing through the gate a visitors will see two stones: to the right a small stone, meant to set one’s discontent and sorrows on and to the left a larger taller stone. These two rocks will become balanced as the discontent and sorrows weigh down the smaller stone making it equal to the left larger stone.
The gate was made entirely without screws in the traditional Japanese fashion, with the exception of the door hinges and metal plaque. The metal plaque depicts the 12 cherry blossoms representing the 12 months of the year. The red dot is Garden Master Koji Morimoto’s signature and the three stylized lines represent love, life, and harmony. Upon entering either gate, these stylized lines are repeated on the walkway.
Crossing through the gate visitors have two choices. Which path is chosen is meant to symbolize one’s way of life; to the right, ridged and full of structure, or to the left, fluid and full of adventure.
A very ornate and delicate five-foot vertical pagoda showcases exquisite detailing. From bottom to top the five layers of the pagoda represent earth, fire, water, wind, and space.
This bridge tells a story dating back to the year 931. In the story, a nobleman from Kyoto was exiled to the countryside and forced to leave his true love behind. On his way back to her, he crossed eight narrow bridges over eight shallow streams. This bridge represents the quest for true love.
Vertical Boulders
Horizontal Boulders
Vertical Boulders
In different vignettes through the garden, boulders have been placed in vertical formations. The vertical boulders represent mountains as Japan is a mountainous country full of peaks and valleys. In Japanese culture, these rocks are considered heavenly.
Horizontal Boulders
Horizontal rocks are considered earthly and give shape to the garden. Horizontal rocks often represent islands since Japan is an island country.
The Moon Bridge is symbolic of passage to an important place or state of mind. In the Kay McFarland Japanese Garden, it marks the passage between the sacred upper garden into the lower garden. In other gardens, the bridge may symbolize a journey between one world and the next or a passage to an important place or state of mind, for instance, from child to adult or single to married.
Before reaching this bridge, the rigid and fluid paths are more narrow and meant for a single person but after the two paths merge and cross over The Moon Bridge the path opens up and becomes wider and is now meant for more than one person.
The red color is significant in Japanese culture as red is significant and natural is second. This means if something is more important it should be colored red rather than left natural to highlight its significance. This bridge is the more significant in the garden as it symbolizes a change in a person therefore it was painted red. The black caps on this bridge reflect the Buddhist ideal of striving to reach the high point.
After the Moon Bridge, the Nishinogata lantern can be found to the right. This lantern represents love, brightness, and protection from evil as those who passed over the Moon Bridge continue on their journey.
This lantern is a Kotoji Lantern. It sits with one leg in the water and the other leg on a stone (the Earth) to represent the harmony between land and sea. Historically, lanterns were used to guide visitors to the tea house in the evenings.
This is the largest pool of water in the garden. Water is an important element that represents tranquility, constant renewal, and the flow of life into the hereafter.
Inside the pond, visitors will find koi, the crane and turtle islands, water lilies and lotus, a heart rock, and the Kotoji Lantern.
When reserved for private events, guests can enter the garden directly from the parking lot through the Turtle Gate.
The tiles on the top of the gate were imported from Japan and laid with precision.
Similar to the Crane Gate, the Turtle Gate was made entirely without screws in the traditional Japanese fashion, with the exception of the door hinges and metal plaque. The metal plaque was hand-made by Koji and marked with a red square, his signature.
The metal plaque depicts the 12 cherry blossoms representing the 12 months of the year. The red dot is Garden Master Koji Morimoto’s signature and the three stylized lines represent love, life, and harmony. Upon entering either gate, these stylized lines are repeated on the walkway. One can see these lines also by the entrance to the Zen Garden.
Inside the Gallery, one will find a wall acknowledging donors who made this project possible. Directly across from the entrance into the Gallery is a display wall, commemorating the accomplishments of the late Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Kay McFarland. The other seven walls explain the nature of a Japanese garden through comparison photography from Japanese and Kansas landscapes. Next to the Gallery is an Event Venue for celebrations and meetings.
Outside the Gallery and Event Venue are two Katshuga lanterns. These lanterns are based upon the dream of a monk in which he saw a Spirit riding a sacred white deer out of the mountains. The lotus leaf topped lanterns have images of the white deer on each side.
This hidden gem can be found on the west side of the event venue. It has an eight-stone grouping representing the immortals (godly spirits that guide one’s life). The dry landscape technique is a combination of stones and sand to suggest water and mountains. Boulders are placed to represent islands (a piece of land in an infinite ocean), an eagle’s nest, and mountains of Japan’s diverse landscape. The largest rock in the entire garden can be found at the far right; it weighs in excess of 7 tons.
In a Japanese Garden, Zen Gardens are intended to be a place for meditation. The dry landscape is based on the art of existential emptiness and nothingness, providing a meditative character to the garden.
Patterns are raked into the stone to suggest a ripple pattern, representing water, or other patterns such as peacocks. This raking is done in the traditional Japanese style with four and eight-tined rakes. These rakes were handmade by Rick Knight, the zoo’s horticulturist and grounds manager.
It will take five to seven years for the plantings in the garden to mature and accomplish their intended purposes, including creating visual barriers resulting in separate experiences on journeys through the garden. These are similar to divisions in a Bento Box or a tackle box, which allow the visitor to appreciate each area without their senses becoming overwhelmed by viewing the garden in its entirety all at once.
The garden flora includes 40-plus varieties of plants. These include flowers, flowering shrubs, grasses, trees, moss, and water plants.
Leading up to the Crane Tea House visitors are greeted with the Rok-kaku-yukimigata lantern and a stone basin and bamboo fountain intended to be used for the ritual bathing of hands and feet done before entering.
The entry to the Tea House is known in Japanese culture as the building’s face. On either side of the face are large smooth stones. These are actually only the top of very tall stones that have been buried vertically in the ground. In addition, specially created classical style vertical round poles sit on both sides of the entryway.
Along with the water element, there are stepping stones, each one further than the next to force one to slow down before entering the structure.
Designed with simplicity and tranquility in mind, the Crane Tea House uses limited materials providing one with a place for reflection as they gaze upon the Crane Pool. The tradition of a tea ceremony dates back to the 9th Century and was brought to Japan from China. Ceremonies would last for 4 ½–5 hours and every aspect of the tea ceremony is steeped in ritual and meaning representing purity, tranquility, respect, and harmony.
Bronze Cranes
Crane Pool
Bronze Cranes
Two Red-crowned cranes in a courtship dance, made by Paul Rimer.
Crane Pool
The Crane Pool consists of a still pool with a lovely waterfall, a small red bridge, vertical standing rocks, and two bronze cranes.
The Small Red Bridge at the overlook above the Crane Pool and Crane Tea House is a beautiful photo opportunity and a lovely place to experience the waterfall that flows beneath it.
The waterfall flowing into the Crane Pool and symbolic vertical rock formation represent ancestors, a male, and a female, with the water flowing through and past them towards the Crane Pool, representing their progeny.
Small Red Bridge
This is where a person goes to sit and wait for their mind and body to prepare to experience the garden.
At the foot of the waiting room, look down, a stepping stone can be found to adhere to the ancient traditions. Stepping stones are used to slow a person’s pace prior to entering a garden structure.
Garden Map
Enhance Your Visit
Garden Walking Tour Guide
A World In Miniature; A walking guide for Kay McFarland Japanese Garden.
Discover the stories, sculptures, and beauty of the garden at your own pace. Swing by the gift shop and find a copy on your next visit.
