A rock garden is a Japanese garden. It is rather difficult for a European to perceive, because it is not just an element of landscape design, it is a piece of Japanese culture. The rock garden is a real work of art, which is not given to everyone to understand.
The origin of the Japanese rock garden is closely related to the religious worldview of this people. The Japanese believe that the place where there are many stones will be chosen by the gods themselves. For a long time such places in the culture of this people were sacred and pure, full of hope, inhabited by good forces. Today, the creation of rocky gardens has become a real art, which has a more aesthetic focus. Although for some, the stones in the garden are still a tribute to the spirits of fire, mountains, wind and trees.
The main elements of a rock garden
Often, a rock garden is a flat area covered with sand or small pebbles. However, the most important element is definitely the stones. To a distant viewer, it may seem that the stones are located absolutely randomly. In fact, this is not at all the case. Compositions from groups of stones are arranged according to certain rules. This is a very important moment in the art of creating a Japanese garden. The most preferable grouping of stones is three, this corresponds to the Buddhist triad. The sandy base also plays an important role; with the help of a rake, grooves are drawn in a certain way. They should run along the long side of the garden, forming peculiar lines around the stones, visually resembling arcs.
The surface of the Japanese rock garden symbolizes the ocean, the water surface, and the stones themselves are like islands. However, each visitor to the garden, if desired, can imagine something of his own, this should allow him to relax and escape from the burden of everyday life. After all, a rock garden is a place for meditation, designed to give peace of mind and enlightenment.
Particularly interesting in a Japanese garden is that wherever a visitor glances, he will always see the same number of stones. All these subtleties must be thought out in the composition of the garden. This is probably why a real Japanese garden is so rare, at least within the framework of private land ownership.
Ryoanji Rock Garden
Perhaps the most famous rock garden is the garden at the Ryoanji temple, otherwise it is called the "garden of fifteen stones." This temple was created in 1499 by the master Soami. The surface of the garden is framed with white gravel, against the background of which there are fifteen black rough stones, divided into five harmonious groups. Each of them is framed by green moss.
The secret of this garden lies in the fact that no matter from which side the visitor looks at it, the fifteenth stone always remains out of sight. There is a legend that only the enlightened was given to see all fifteen stones. The natural contrast and harmony of this garden leaves its mark on the minds and hearts of visitors for a long time.
