Ancient Japanese Zen Gardens

A Japanese Zen garden

Sometimes referred to as dry or rock gardens, Zen gardens, called karesansu (dry-mountain-water) in Japanese, play an integral role in the culture of the country and its people.

History

When the spiritual practice of Zen Buddhism started in Japan in the 6th century, Japanese Buddhist monks, inspired by their travels to China, began to develop Japanese Zen gardens. As the ancient capital of Japan, Kyoto saw a number of Zen gardens constructed around the city.

Saiho-ji and Kennin-ji

These ancient Japanese Zen gardens included Saiho-ji, also called Koke-dera (the Moss Temple), which first took shape near the end of the 6th century and was refurbished in 1339. Kennin-ji is the oldest Zen temple in Kyoto and features Chouontei, "the garden of the sound of the tide."

Ryoan-ji

Further inspiration came via the importation of stark, Chinese landscape paintings in the 14th and 15th centuries that helped Japanese monks refine the vision of a Zen garden. One of the most renowned Zen gardens, Ryoan-ji, the Temple of the Peaceful Dragon, was constructed in the 15th century and still stands today in Kyoto.

References

• The Temple of Kenninji: Oldest Zen Temple
• Yamasa Institute: Japan Travel Guide: Saiho-ji Temple
• Smithsonian Institution: Zen Garden of Kyoto