Stone · Water · Hand-washing Basin · Stone Lamp

Author: Kazuo Mitsubashi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-06-01
Features: A garden is not just a miniature landscape of nature; it is also an artwork of meticulous craftsmanship and great effort. Since ancient times, gardens have been composed of rock arrangements. The clusters of giant rocks on mountains, resembling the work of supernatural forces, have become places of reverence and belief, serving as solid foundations. The so-called "" () are sacred altars built with rocks, intended as the dwelling places of deities. It can be said that these "" () and "" () are the prototypes of the earliest rock arrangements in gardens. The opening of the Heian-period text "" () states, "Arranging rocks." This so-called "arranging rocks" refers to the construction of a garden. The significance of rocks in gardens is evident from ancient gardens.