Eastern culture is strikingly different from ours, and the confirmation of this is landscape architecture and design. One of his vivid examples is the Japanese garden of stones, or sekitei (dry garden). This is a kind of cultural and aesthetic structure that arose in Japan around the XV century. Such gardens are made according to the concepts of Zen Buddhism, a religion that came here from China and largely influenced the life of the medieval Japanese. A classic example of such a structure is the garden of stones in the Buddhist temple of Ryonji (Kyoto).
The rules for creating a Japanese garden of stones
There is no lush green vegetation here. On the contrary, the garden of stones in Japan is a flat rectangular area, covered with fine sand or gravel. On this site, the islets are uncouth stones. Zen Buddhism clearly regulates the basic rules for the location of stones:
- They should be arranged in groups of 3 stones, which symbolizes the Buddhist triad;
- stones are placed depending on the surrounding landscape, the presence of a number of buildings, arbours, reservoirs and other structures;
- In no case are the stones processed, they are only carefully selected according to their texture, size, color;
- allowed to lay stones on the islands of green moss;
- around the stones, rake makes ring grooves, and on the entire surface of the garden - linear, running along the long side of the site;
- The visitor who contemplates the garden should see an equal number of stones from any point of the garden. According to legend, all stones can be seen only "enlightened" at once.
The garden of stones in the teachings of Zen is a place where a person can indulge in meditation while contemplating nature peacefully. The purpose of this - immersion in yourself, enjoying the sight of simple, but filled with a truly deep meaning of things. Sand and untreated stone here also have their special significance. Furrows represent waves of the ocean, and the stones themselves are scattered over the island. However, since the garden of stones is designed for meditation, the visitor in his imagination can conduct almost any association in this regard.
How to make a Japanese garden of stones with your own hands?
The garden of stones can be made and independently, having a small infield area. For this, it is not necessary to adhere to all the above requirements, unless you are, of course, a follower of Zen Buddhism. Having a large plot of land, somewhere in its corner, arrange a classical garden of stones with gravel and moss. If the place is not enough, then you can combine the Japanese garden of stones with the traditional components of landscape design, planting there beautiful and unusual plants that will decorate your site.
Choose a well-lit place for the garden of stones. Conditionally divide the site into 6 parts and think over the composition according to which the stones will be located. It is advisable to arrange them diagonally. For the Japanese garden, it is best to use natural stones - granite, sandstone, shell rock. Gravel should be covered after planting. Stop the choice on evergreen trees. Perfectly decorate the garden of cherry or bonsai, as well as magnolias, irises and peonies. Let the plants be few in number, in order to emphasize the comfort and constancy typical of the traditional Japanese landscape.
You can also decorate the garden with small architectural forms in the oriental style: stone bowls of tsukubai, miniature arbor-
Miniature Stone Garden
You can make a garden of stones with your own hands and at home. To do this, take a small flat box, fill in fine sand and arrange in a picturesque manner small pebbles. They will look beautiful among the islands of artificial or natural moss. Align the sand with child rakes or a hair comb, forming circles and oblong "dunes". Also, a miniature Japanese garden of stones can be decorated with cacti or a dwarf fern.