Buddhism is the largest and one of the longest running religions in Japan. Therefore Buddhist philosophy lies at the core
of Japanese values and aesthetics. The ventral world is a major importance Buddhist philosophy and therefore gardens
are often highly prized and almost religious spaces. Among some of the most famous of the Japanese gardens as the
Japanese rock art also known as a Zen garden. The Japanese language the word for Japanese or rock garden is
Karesansui. This word translates as dry landscape. These types of gardens are among the most famous in Japan have
been copied numerous times elsewhere in the world.
Typically the best Zen Garden's owned near temples and an ancient city is where monks time to tend the garden on a
daily basis. Some of the most famous of these can be found that older cities such as Tokyo, Kyoto. Zen rock gardens
are not typical to have in the average home. However, there are elements of Japanese or Zen rock gardens in much of
the Japanese landscaping. For the upper class or wealthy and Japan have been a beautiful traditional rock garden can
be in a status symbol.
For the casual observer in the untrained eye the Zen rock garden might seem like a random bunch of rocks with gravel
thrown down and raked in a pattern. However the farthest thing from the truth. Almost everything in Japanese culture and
especially in Japanese design has a symbolic meaning. Therefore in Japanese and gardening every element of the
garden has been strategically placed to symbolize something of importance. Each element of the garden is not a
random piece operating on its own instead the garden has to be taken and looked at as a whole in a symbolic way in
each element offers some of the significance and the overall look and feel of the rock garden. Typically Zen Garden
show made from several large rocks being deliberately placed and then sand or gravel is carefully raked around the
outcroppings of rocks. They can often include other elements such as Moss, trees, and even bamboo is central focus is
on rocks and the patterns in the gravel. The gardeners look after his rock garden are very fastidious and careful and
must rake the gravel or sand on a daily basis.
Japanese gardens are gardens in which the plants and trees are ever changing with the seasons. As they grow and
mature, they are constantly sculpted to maintain and enhance the overall experience. The underlying structure of a
Japanese garden is determined by the architecture; that is, the framework of enduring elements such as buildings,
verandas and terraces, paths, tsukiyama (artificial hills), and stone compositions. Over time, it is only as good as the
careful maintenance that it receives by those skilled in the art of training and pruning. (i.e. not me)
Karesansui gardens can be extremely abstract and represent (miniature) landscapes also called "mind-scapes". This
Buddhist preferred way to express cosmic beauty in worldly environments is inextricable from Zen Buddhism.
A brief definition of karesansui from the "Bilingual dictionary of Japanese Garden Terms"
"Dry landscape (garden); dry garden. A garden style unique to Japan, which appeared in the Muromachi period
(1392-1568). Using neither ponds nor streams, it makes symbolic representations of natural landscapes using stone
arrangements, white sand, moss and pruned trees. In Sakuteiki (a garden book with notes on garden making) of the
Heian period (794-1185), the term indicated a stone arrangement in a part of the garden without water."
Unlike other traditional gardens, there is no water present in Karesansui gardens (or the karesansui compartment of a
garden). There is gravel or sand, raked or not raked, that symbolizes sea, ocean, rivers or lakes.
The act of raking the gravel into a pattern recalling waves or rippling water has an aesthetic function. Zen priests
practice this raking also to help their concentration. Achieving perfection of lines is not easy. Rakes are according to the
patterns of ridges as desired and limited to some of the stone objects situated within the gravel area. Nonetheless often
the patterns are not static. Developing variations in patterns is a creative and inspiring challenge.
Stone arrangements and other miniature elements are used to represent mountains and natural water elements and
scenes, islands, rivers and waterfalls. Stone and shaped shrubs (karikomi, hako-zukuri topiary) are used
interchangeably. In most gardens moss is used as a ground cover to create "land" covered by forest.
Other, mostly stone, objects are sometimes used symbolically to represent mountains, islands, boats, or even people.
Karesansui gardens are often, but not always, meant to be viewed from a single vantage point from a seated position.
In the garden book Sakuteiki "Creating a garden" is expressed as "setting stones", ishi wo taten koto; literally, the "act
of setting stones upright." At the time the Sakuteiki was written, the placement of stones was perceived as the primary
act of gardening. Similar expressions are also used in the text, however, to mean literally "setting garden stones" rather
than "creating gardens".
Make sure that all the stones, right down to the front of the arrangement, are placed with their best sides showing. If a
stone has an ugly-looking top you should place it so as to give prominence to its side. Even if this means it has to lean
at a considerable angle, no one will notice. There should always be more horizontal than vertical stones. If there are
"running away" stones there must be "chasing" stones. If there are "leaning" stones, there must be "supporting" stones.
(Stone and shaped shrubs (karikomi) can be used interchangeably.)
Karesansui garden scenery was (and still is) inspired (or even based on) originally Chinese and later also Japanese,
landscape paintings. Though each garden is different in its composition, they mostly use rock groupings and shrubs to
represent a classic scene of mountains, valleys and waterfalls taken from Chinese landscape painting. In some of them
the view also incorporates existing scenery, e.g. the hills behind, as "borrowed scenery" (using a technique called
Shakkei).
Today, ink monochrome painting still is the art form most closely associated with Zen Buddhism. A primary design
principle was the creation of a landscape based on, or at least greatly influenced by, the three-dimensional
monochrome ink (sumi) landscape painting, sumi-e or suibokuga. In Japan the garden has the same status as a work of
art.
of Japanese values and aesthetics. The ventral world is a major importance Buddhist philosophy and therefore gardens
are often highly prized and almost religious spaces. Among some of the most famous of the Japanese gardens as the
Japanese rock art also known as a Zen garden. The Japanese language the word for Japanese or rock garden is
Karesansui. This word translates as dry landscape. These types of gardens are among the most famous in Japan have
been copied numerous times elsewhere in the world.
Typically the best Zen Garden's owned near temples and an ancient city is where monks time to tend the garden on a
daily basis. Some of the most famous of these can be found that older cities such as Tokyo, Kyoto. Zen rock gardens
are not typical to have in the average home. However, there are elements of Japanese or Zen rock gardens in much of
the Japanese landscaping. For the upper class or wealthy and Japan have been a beautiful traditional rock garden can
be in a status symbol.
For the casual observer in the untrained eye the Zen rock garden might seem like a random bunch of rocks with gravel
thrown down and raked in a pattern. However the farthest thing from the truth. Almost everything in Japanese culture and
especially in Japanese design has a symbolic meaning. Therefore in Japanese and gardening every element of the
garden has been strategically placed to symbolize something of importance. Each element of the garden is not a
random piece operating on its own instead the garden has to be taken and looked at as a whole in a symbolic way in
each element offers some of the significance and the overall look and feel of the rock garden. Typically Zen Garden
show made from several large rocks being deliberately placed and then sand or gravel is carefully raked around the
outcroppings of rocks. They can often include other elements such as Moss, trees, and even bamboo is central focus is
on rocks and the patterns in the gravel. The gardeners look after his rock garden are very fastidious and careful and
must rake the gravel or sand on a daily basis.
Japanese gardens are gardens in which the plants and trees are ever changing with the seasons. As they grow and
mature, they are constantly sculpted to maintain and enhance the overall experience. The underlying structure of a
Japanese garden is determined by the architecture; that is, the framework of enduring elements such as buildings,
verandas and terraces, paths, tsukiyama (artificial hills), and stone compositions. Over time, it is only as good as the
careful maintenance that it receives by those skilled in the art of training and pruning. (i.e. not me)
Karesansui gardens can be extremely abstract and represent (miniature) landscapes also called "mind-scapes". This
Buddhist preferred way to express cosmic beauty in worldly environments is inextricable from Zen Buddhism.
A brief definition of karesansui from the "Bilingual dictionary of Japanese Garden Terms"
"Dry landscape (garden); dry garden. A garden style unique to Japan, which appeared in the Muromachi period
(1392-1568). Using neither ponds nor streams, it makes symbolic representations of natural landscapes using stone
arrangements, white sand, moss and pruned trees. In Sakuteiki (a garden book with notes on garden making) of the
Heian period (794-1185), the term indicated a stone arrangement in a part of the garden without water."
Unlike other traditional gardens, there is no water present in Karesansui gardens (or the karesansui compartment of a
garden). There is gravel or sand, raked or not raked, that symbolizes sea, ocean, rivers or lakes.
The act of raking the gravel into a pattern recalling waves or rippling water has an aesthetic function. Zen priests
practice this raking also to help their concentration. Achieving perfection of lines is not easy. Rakes are according to the
patterns of ridges as desired and limited to some of the stone objects situated within the gravel area. Nonetheless often
the patterns are not static. Developing variations in patterns is a creative and inspiring challenge.
Stone arrangements and other miniature elements are used to represent mountains and natural water elements and
scenes, islands, rivers and waterfalls. Stone and shaped shrubs (karikomi, hako-zukuri topiary) are used
interchangeably. In most gardens moss is used as a ground cover to create "land" covered by forest.
Other, mostly stone, objects are sometimes used symbolically to represent mountains, islands, boats, or even people.
Karesansui gardens are often, but not always, meant to be viewed from a single vantage point from a seated position.
In the garden book Sakuteiki "Creating a garden" is expressed as "setting stones", ishi wo taten koto; literally, the "act
of setting stones upright." At the time the Sakuteiki was written, the placement of stones was perceived as the primary
act of gardening. Similar expressions are also used in the text, however, to mean literally "setting garden stones" rather
than "creating gardens".
Make sure that all the stones, right down to the front of the arrangement, are placed with their best sides showing. If a
stone has an ugly-looking top you should place it so as to give prominence to its side. Even if this means it has to lean
at a considerable angle, no one will notice. There should always be more horizontal than vertical stones. If there are
"running away" stones there must be "chasing" stones. If there are "leaning" stones, there must be "supporting" stones.
(Stone and shaped shrubs (karikomi) can be used interchangeably.)
Karesansui garden scenery was (and still is) inspired (or even based on) originally Chinese and later also Japanese,
landscape paintings. Though each garden is different in its composition, they mostly use rock groupings and shrubs to
represent a classic scene of mountains, valleys and waterfalls taken from Chinese landscape painting. In some of them
the view also incorporates existing scenery, e.g. the hills behind, as "borrowed scenery" (using a technique called
Shakkei).
Today, ink monochrome painting still is the art form most closely associated with Zen Buddhism. A primary design
principle was the creation of a landscape based on, or at least greatly influenced by, the three-dimensional
monochrome ink (sumi) landscape painting, sumi-e or suibokuga. In Japan the garden has the same status as a work of
art.
The garden is usually situated in a flat, shallow area into which no one is allowed to enter, except sometimes via
stepping stones set solely for this purpose. The sand is raked in straight lines or waves and usually surrounds the other
elements of the garden. Items in the garden are either adjusted or rearranged during the day only if they come into
human contact, otherwise they are left to exist where nature desires them to be.
The best place to see Zen gardens in the world is in Kyoto, Japan. The King of all rock gardens is the Karesansui
garden in Ryōan-ji Temple in Kyoto. The temple grounds are beautiful, containing the temple itself, a landscape garden,
and the famous Karesansui garden. Karesansui is almost 100 feet wide and 33 feet deep. A ledge along one of the
sides of the temple runs in front of the rock garden, allowing you to enjoy views of the garden from many different angles.
The garden contains 15 rocks floating in a sea of raked gravel. The catch is that no matter from which angle you view the
garden, you can never see all the stones at the same time. The lesson is that we must learn to be content with what we
have, for we can never have everything.
I love rock gardens. They are so calming. They engulf you in a peaceful, tranquil, and relaxed state of mind.
Oddly enough, this is not their intention, as most Westerners believe. In the very early hours of the morning, the younger
monks of a temple will come out into the garden and practice raking the sand and gravel, and arranging the rocks in a
manner which conveys some deeper idea. After trying several arrangements, a senior monk will appear and arrange the
garden just once in a far superior way, conveying a deeper message, than any of the arrangements the other monks
thought of, but not reveal the idea to the younger monks.
This arrangement will remain untouched throughout the day as visitors enter and leave the temple. At the end of the day,
the senior monk will ask the younger monks for their interpretations, and will finally reveal the concept behind the garden.
Thats all well and good. But I think my brain would explode if I tried something like that. I'll stick with just enjoying the
garden's tranquility.
stepping stones set solely for this purpose. The sand is raked in straight lines or waves and usually surrounds the other
elements of the garden. Items in the garden are either adjusted or rearranged during the day only if they come into
human contact, otherwise they are left to exist where nature desires them to be.
The best place to see Zen gardens in the world is in Kyoto, Japan. The King of all rock gardens is the Karesansui
garden in Ryōan-ji Temple in Kyoto. The temple grounds are beautiful, containing the temple itself, a landscape garden,
and the famous Karesansui garden. Karesansui is almost 100 feet wide and 33 feet deep. A ledge along one of the
sides of the temple runs in front of the rock garden, allowing you to enjoy views of the garden from many different angles.
The garden contains 15 rocks floating in a sea of raked gravel. The catch is that no matter from which angle you view the
garden, you can never see all the stones at the same time. The lesson is that we must learn to be content with what we
have, for we can never have everything.
I love rock gardens. They are so calming. They engulf you in a peaceful, tranquil, and relaxed state of mind.
Oddly enough, this is not their intention, as most Westerners believe. In the very early hours of the morning, the younger
monks of a temple will come out into the garden and practice raking the sand and gravel, and arranging the rocks in a
manner which conveys some deeper idea. After trying several arrangements, a senior monk will appear and arrange the
garden just once in a far superior way, conveying a deeper message, than any of the arrangements the other monks
thought of, but not reveal the idea to the younger monks.
This arrangement will remain untouched throughout the day as visitors enter and leave the temple. At the end of the day,
the senior monk will ask the younger monks for their interpretations, and will finally reveal the concept behind the garden.
Thats all well and good. But I think my brain would explode if I tried something like that. I'll stick with just enjoying the
garden's tranquility.
Lets Make A Rock Garden!!!
With just a few simple items and plants, strategically placed, you can have an area of beauty and restfullness and it doesn’t take a lot of space to achieve it.
space in a corner of a yard, or can be created to take advantage of a large lot. It’s up to you how much space you want to devote to yours. They vary anywhere from very austere (rocks and sand only) to ones Japanese Rock Garden (karesansui) can go on a desk, in a small with a few plants added in. The traditional Japanese garden adds water features, decorations and many more plants. Whichever type you choose is only limited by your imagination (and budget). |
Of course, the main item in a Japanese rock garden is ROCK. The idea is to find ones that are interesting and in
varying shapes and sizes, rocks that you wouldn’t mind spend hours looking at. (After all, Japanese rock gardens are
usually used for meditation – you wouldn’t want to stare at something boring for hours, would you? I have lots of rocks. I
don't always use all of them but hey, they're cute rocks. And variety never hurt anyone.) Placement is then key – you
want to space them to make a visually interesting pattern. In the most basic style, sand is placed in the shallow bed and
raked into patterns to resemble water’s waves, with only the rocks to break the pattern.
Japanese rock gardens are also called Zen gardens because of their use in meditation. After staring at the garden for
a while, your mind begins to ‘expand’ and see things not originally in the patterns. (My own mind does that if I stare at
ANYTHING for very long… but my friends just tend to call that hallucinating) The great thing is you can move the rocks
and re-rake the sand to have an ever-changing garden.
Traditional Japanese Garden meditation isn’t main your goal, and you want a little more life to your garden, then you
might want to go for the Japanese traditional style.
Water is a much more prominent feature, be it a pond all the way up to a lake (I use a clear, low saucer to make my
ponds), and the plantings are much more profuse. However, the plants are usually in monochromes, such as mostly
greens, using the plants more for texture rather than color. Splashes of color are provided by bridges or other
decorations, although Japanese cherry trees, in full blossom in the spring, will give you a sudden burst of pinks and
whites to highlight your area. Japanese maple trees do the same, only in the fall, when their leaves turn scarlet. (I use
artificial floral. You can get it in all sizes and almost any kind of plant.)
Almost anyone today can own Zen rock garden even a casual apartment dweller in the city can find a small area to set
up their own rock garden. It often does not take much space to convey the peaceful feeling the gentle serenity that can
come from such a garden. In fact today there are many retailers sell small desktop versions of Zen rock gardens. These
little desktop versions are often six to 8 inches long and four to 5 inches wide filled with a little bit of sand and rocks and
a little rake. These can often make a wonderful corporate gift or executive toy for that important someone in life.
varying shapes and sizes, rocks that you wouldn’t mind spend hours looking at. (After all, Japanese rock gardens are
usually used for meditation – you wouldn’t want to stare at something boring for hours, would you? I have lots of rocks. I
don't always use all of them but hey, they're cute rocks. And variety never hurt anyone.) Placement is then key – you
want to space them to make a visually interesting pattern. In the most basic style, sand is placed in the shallow bed and
raked into patterns to resemble water’s waves, with only the rocks to break the pattern.
Japanese rock gardens are also called Zen gardens because of their use in meditation. After staring at the garden for
a while, your mind begins to ‘expand’ and see things not originally in the patterns. (My own mind does that if I stare at
ANYTHING for very long… but my friends just tend to call that hallucinating) The great thing is you can move the rocks
and re-rake the sand to have an ever-changing garden.
Traditional Japanese Garden meditation isn’t main your goal, and you want a little more life to your garden, then you
might want to go for the Japanese traditional style.
Water is a much more prominent feature, be it a pond all the way up to a lake (I use a clear, low saucer to make my
ponds), and the plantings are much more profuse. However, the plants are usually in monochromes, such as mostly
greens, using the plants more for texture rather than color. Splashes of color are provided by bridges or other
decorations, although Japanese cherry trees, in full blossom in the spring, will give you a sudden burst of pinks and
whites to highlight your area. Japanese maple trees do the same, only in the fall, when their leaves turn scarlet. (I use
artificial floral. You can get it in all sizes and almost any kind of plant.)
Almost anyone today can own Zen rock garden even a casual apartment dweller in the city can find a small area to set
up their own rock garden. It often does not take much space to convey the peaceful feeling the gentle serenity that can
come from such a garden. In fact today there are many retailers sell small desktop versions of Zen rock gardens. These
little desktop versions are often six to 8 inches long and four to 5 inches wide filled with a little bit of sand and rocks and
a little rake. These can often make a wonderful corporate gift or executive toy for that important someone in life.