WABI-SABI

Takashi Amano is one of the most influential people in the freshwater aquascaping community. He can
largely be credited with introducing Japanese gardening concepts such as Wabi-sabi and Zen rock
arrangement to the aquascaping hobby. His tank compositions involve intricate, and typically asymmetrical
(though balanced) arrangements of aquatic plants often augmented by river rocks and driftwood. His
aquascapes are notable in that they often mimic nature in their appearance, and can be regarded as a form
of art.

Iwagumi Styles

If you trace Iwagumi layouts to their origin, you will find a layout that Takashi Amano created
approximately 30 years ago. It was a simple layout created by arranging river rocks and planting
solely with Echinodorus tenellus. According to Takashi Amano, while some people did not seem
to be surprised very much by the layouts that he had created through trials and errors up to that
point, when they saw this Iwagumi layout, they seemed truly amazed by its unique and unusual
beauty. Iwagumi layout style did not exist back then, and no one, including Mr. Mitsuo Yamazaki,
the importer of E. tenellus, had any detailed information on the plant. It was truly an original
creation by Amano that no one had seen before. Ever since that time, various styles of Iwagumi
layouts were introduced by Amano and the allure and fascination with Iwagumi layouts has
increased.

Iwagumi aquascapes are a subset of the Nature Aquarium style, pioneered by Takashi
Amano. Based of Japanese gardening principles, iwagumi literally means "rock formation."
Rocks form the structure of Japanese gardens, and so in an iwagumi aquascape, rocks play a
major role. Also, how these rocks are placed and how many of them there are is also very
important. Many different styles of iwagumi have been adapted to the aquarium, but the
overall theme is that of tranquility and simplicity.

The most common iwagumi style is called sanzon iwagumi. Sanzon means "three pillar" in
Japanese and these aquascapes make use of three rocks, with two smaller rocks and one
larger rock. According toJAANUS, this term was first used in the 11th century Japanese
garden treatise "Sakuteiki." The grouping of stones comes from Buddhism; the central stone is
called the chuusonskei (or the big Buddha) and the smaller flanking stones are
called kyoujiseki (or attendant stones). The kyoujiseki are often tilted or pointed towards
the chuusonskei as if bowing down to it. The chuusonskei is almost always positioned
according to the Golden Rule.

Other styles are less frequent, but always make use of an odd number of stones of varying
sizes. In the aquascaping community, iwagumi has taken on additional traits as well. Iwagumi
aquascaped aquariums often have one single type of carpeting plant (often glosso, hair grass,
or hemianthus callitrichoides) and one single species of schooling fish (most
commonly rummynose tetras, cardinal tetras, or harlequin rasboras). This adds to the
feeling of simplicity in the aquascape.

Many assume that caring for and maintaining an iwagumi aquascaped aquarium is easier than
other styles. It is in fact much harder due to the restrictions in terms of a single plant species
and the high light levels. Carpeting plants are often rather slow growers and don't absorb
much in the way of nutrients. Therefore, starting an iwagumi aquascaped aquarium and
getting it balanced is by far one of the most challenging aspects of the hobby. Algal blooms
are common and stem plants are not available to help cycle the tank and achieve a balance.
Instead, it is a lot of trial and error trying to get rid of algae and determine the correct fertlizer
levels. Most use Amano shrimp or other types of shrimp to help control aglae. Iwagumi
aquascaped aquariums are definitely not for beginners, but can be some of the most beautiful
and peaceful aquascapes imaginable.
Layout Composition with drift wood

Photographer: Takashi Amano

The pioneer of the modern planted aquascape demonstrates the multiple ways that driftwood and moss can
form the foundation for a layout’s overall impression.

One major characteristic of a Nature Aquarium layout, in addition to aquatic plants, is the use of rocks and
driftwood in the production of a layout. An advantage of producing the framework of a composition using
rocks and driftwood before planting aquatic plants is that it makes it easier to construct an entire layout from
there. Therefore, rocks and driftwood are generally called “composition materials” in the Nature Aquarium.

There are many types of composition materials, and their shapes and sizes vary as well. As a result, the
impression of a layout can be totally changed by using new composition materials. Finding a new
composition material also makes it possible to create a layout with a completely new impression.

Although driftwood is largely used as a composition material in the Nature Aquarium to produce the
framework of a layout, it also renders a natural feel to a layout. The natural feel results from the way the
driftwood was produced. Driftwood is made and carried by water. A tree that falls and becomes immersed
due to rising water loses its hard, woody part eventually and turns into driftwood over a long period of time.
Driftwood in nature offers a hiding place for fish and becomes a part of the scenery, with mosses and ferns
growing on it. By using driftwood in a layout, the aquascaper integrates its role in nature into that layout.
Therefore, driftwood may used in a layout with its surface exposed, or by growing mosses and ferns on it to
express the passage of time.

Deciding to Use Moss

Whether driftwood is used by taking advantage of its original shape and its bare surface or by covering it
with mosses and ferns is dependent upon the characteristics of the individual piece of driftwood. If it is to be
used purely as a composition material in a layout, if it has an artificially cut surface, or if it has a different
color or texture from other driftwood, these problems can be overcome by covering the entire piece of
driftwood with moss.

On the other hand, if the driftwood is to be used by taking advantage of its original surface or contour, it can
be used without attaching a lot of mosses and ferns on its surface. If the shape of driftwood is not very
attractive, the shape can be obscured if the driftwood is covered with mosses and used as part of an
arrangement of multiple pieces. Another alternative is that a narrow driftwood branch with an intricate shape
can simply be placed on the substrate to produce a layout on its own. The characteristics of the individual
driftwood determine how it should be used.

Making a Balanced Composition

The driftwood used in the photographs in this article is horn wood, which has a relatively intricate shape.
There are many types of driftwood, and there is a suitable layout method for each type. Horn wood may not
have a strong character, but it can be used to produce a wide variety of layouts depending on the choice of
wood and the arrangement.

In this layout, several pieces of horn wood are arranged together, taking advantage of their curvy shapes
and creating an arch in the center. Stem plants are planted on the left and right sides of the layout to create
a basic U-shaped composition in order to accentuate the open space beneath the driftwood. Such a
composition is a rather difficult one, in which driftwood pieces are arranged to form an arch while keeping
the overall layout in a good balance.

The key point here is to select driftwood pieces by carefully evaluating their sizes in the beginning. The
layout will come together better if the main driftwood that forms an arch and other driftwood pieces are
arranged at the same time to maintain the overall balance. Four horn wood pieces were used to create a
framework in this layout: two in the center and one on each side.

It is important to provide some measures to prevent the driftwood from shifting during maintenance in a
layout by using multiple pieces of driftwood, such as this one, since the overall balance of a layout will be
destroyed if the position of the driftwood in the framework shifts. In this layout, Bolbitis was placed in the
intersection of the driftwood pieces so that its roots will attach and secure the driftwood pieces in place and
keep them from moving around.
A U-shaped composition with an open space around the center of a layout, such as this one, is suitable for
expressing perspective. If you examine the composition in terms of balance, you can see that the driftwood
and the bushes of aquatic plants on the right are somewhat larger and placed toward the front of the
aquarium, while the ones on the left are smaller and placed somewhat toward the back. In the end, the
composition of a layout is determined by the volume of aquatic plants. Therefore, stem plants, whose
volume is easy to adjust through trimming, are used in the background in this layout. The position of the
driftwood in the framework serves as a guideline for the planting area.

Additionally, building the middle ground well with driftwood and epiphytic plants, such as ferns, makes it
easier to maintain the stem plants through trimming. Driftwood produces a well-defined composition, which
plays a key role in maintaining a layout. The composition of a finished layout becomes clear, and the sense
of perspective is strengthened, through the placement of driftwood. This defines the composition clearly, and
the layout is completed by planting aquatic plants in appropriate volumes on the left and right sides of an
aquarium.

Data
Aquarium: Cube Garden W180 x D60 x H60 cm

Lighting: Grand Solar I (NAG-150W-Green x 1, NA PC lamp 36W x 2) x 3 units, turned on for 10 hours per
day

Filter: Super Jet Filter ES-2400 (Bio Rio L, NA Carbon)

Substrate: Aqua Soil Amazonia, Power Sand Special L, Bacter 100, Clear Super, Tourmaline BC, Penac
W/for Aquarium, Penac P

CO2: Pollen Glass Beetle Series 50, 6 bubbles per second via CO2 Beetle Counter (using Tower)
Aeration: For 14 hours after the light is turned off using Lily Pipe P-4

Additives: Brighty K, Green Brighty STEP2

Water Change: 1/3 once a week

Water Quality: Temperature 25ºC (77ºF), pH 6.8, TH 20 mg/l