The garden lake should generally have an island, if the size permit it, in order to give depth and variety. The islands are made in a large variety of forms and character as may be gathered from different names used to describe them, such as iso-jima (rock island) with rugged rocks, having a precipitous crag above and detached fragments in the water; yami-jima (mountain island) with the shape of a mountain rising from the water; mori-jima (forest island) with a low elevation covered with straight trees; hikata-jima (tide-ebb island) half immersed in water with a few rocks; suhama-gatajima (bare beach island) with young pine trees on sand; kasumi-gata-jima (mist-shaped island) with sand strewn in streaks, bare of vegetation; kumo-gata-jima (cloud-shaped island) formed of white sand; matsu-kawa-jima (pine-bark island) with rough markings resembling the bark of our pine, with or without trees or rocks. In olden times it was customary to have "master's isle," "guest's isle" and the "central isle" in the garden. But unless the lake is of an immense dimension, the first two are abbreviated into promontaries from either side.
