Ryouan-ji
The manifold interpretations of Ryoan-ji – an excerpt
虎の子渡し – Tiger family crossing a river 碧巌録に示された臥龍 – Sleeping dragon 星座カシオペヤ – The constellation Cassiopeia 心の字 – Heart character 京都盆地を囲む五山 – Five mountains surrounding Kyoto 光の反射板 – Reflecting of Light 満月を巡る – The moon phases around the full moon Today I want to dig deeper into the manifold interpretations of Ryoan-jis zen garden. Surely, […]
The Use of Light in a Dry Landscape Garden
Sometimes I stumble upon phrases in texts about Japanese gardens. These phrases are actually common knowledge in the Japanese garden scene, yet, although it is widely spread and you can read about it in every book (or so it seems), in this one situation it always hits me as if I have never heard of […]
Some tips for creating a real Japanese garden at your home.
I won’t show “bad example” pictures and link to bad articles here! If you search via Google, I am sure you will find a lot by yourself. When I see links promising me to teach me how to built a Japanese garden in only a few steps, I just can’t withstand and have to follow […]
New eBook: Stone Arrangement!
This book I wanted to do for a long time and now I was finally able to write it. I am so excited! In the beginning of 2016, I had prescribed bed rest for about a month and during this time I read the Sakuteiki and already wrote down a lot of the text you […]
Behind the image of the karesansui garden
The Kamakura and Muromachi eras hold the answer to my third question of dry landscape gardens – is there more to their compositions than the restraint and unnaturalness that they project? Zen Buddhism and the Hidden Nature of Rocks The effect upon these karesansui (“withered mountain-water”) gardens from the practice of meditation from Zen Buddhism […]
Field Trip to Kyoto Day 3 — Autumn 2014
If you missed the start of this trip, catch up here:Read Day 1 | Read Day 2 Arashiyama Temple Walk Kyoto — Hōgon-in & River Stroll Our last day in Kyoto took us to the Arashiyama district, where we focused on special openings and mountain temples. This Arashiyama temple walk Kyoto turned into a full […]