“Karesansui” is a word that is often associated with Japan.
The first thing that may come to mind is a rock garden like the one found in temples in Kyoto.
However, even though you can imagine it, you may find it difficult to explain it in words.
This time, I would like to just get a general idea of Karesansui.
Originally, Karesansui is a word that refers to the style of Japanese gardens.
Today, we will focus on the following two types of Japanese gardens.
■Pond garden: Using water to express a landscape (nature with an elegant atmosphere)
Places / courts and aristocratic residences
■Karesansui garden: Expressing a landscape with rocks, sand, etc. without using water (natural nature with a rugged atmosphere)
Place / Zen temple
In Karesansui gardens, natural landscapes are expressed, with rocks representing mountains, sand representing the ocean, and ripple mark representing waves.
Looking at it this way, it seems like you can enjoy the Karesansui garden as an art form.
For example, there are also three-dimensional representations of ink paintings.
In ink painting, the shading of the ink gives the painting a sense of perspective, and also in Karesansui, a method of creating depth and spaciousness is also seen by placing stones called Enzanseki in the background.
Although the rock garden may seem a bit bare, it may become more interesting if you pay attention to its artistic aspects.
By the way, what was the origin of Karesansui?
The answer, surprisingly, is the Onin War (1467), a famous war in history. After 11 years of civil war, Kyoto's Pond Garden fell into disrepair.
Under such circumstances, Karesansui gardens could be created without using water, with less cost, and with less land area.
The universal beauty of Karesansui, which combines rocks and sand, was born out of the creativity of people who were able to demonstrate their abilities under the harsh environment of the time.
What is Karesansui?
“A Japanese garden expressed with only rocks and sand without using water, with a desolate yet original artistry.”
Is it okay to think of it as such?
The world of Karesansui is still deep. We're still learning.
