Yukitsuri, a Sculptural Japanese Gardening Tradition, Is a Wonder to Behold
The technique uses straw ropes, wood, and bamboo to safeguard trees against the snow.
By Ali Morris
January 16, 2021
1 minute read
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Those visiting Japan’s beloved gardens during the winter might be struck by the sight of trees confined within mysterious cone-shaped structures. Existing somewhere between art and scaffolding, yukitsuri—the term for these intriguing rope webs—is a traditional Japanese gardening technique intended to protect trees’ long branches from bending and breaking under the weight of snow. Workers construct the dramatic enclosures in teams, tying a bamboo or wood pole to each tree’s trunk, then suspending straw ropes from the top and tying them to ends of individual branches.