By Takamitsu Hairi


The thought that Japanese sand gardens contain quite couple of plants could seem odd to some people. Japanese sand gardens are abstract gardens developed hundreds of years ago. They're related with Zen Buddhism as the gardens were very first developed at Zen temples as a meditative space. These Zen temples were surrounded by walls, and within the walls the Zen monks created these gardens as a harmonious space.

The concept behind the creation of the sand garden was to symbolize nature utilizing natural materials such as stones, sand and gravel. The graven was raked so that you can produce the illusion of rippling water. The use of plants was kept towards the bare minimum.

Though the sand garden is actually representing water there is no actual water inside the entire composition. It is the raked gravel and sand that is taken as a symbolic representation of water instead. The stones are artistically composed in order to represent hills. The kind of rocks utilised might differ according to what precisely the designer aims to represent.

The sand and gravel in Japanese sand gardens are raked each and every day. The raking is completed to be able to develop a particular pattern that's meant to illustrate the movement of water. For example, the sand or gravel may be raked into straight, waving or whirling so that you can represent the movement and direction of flowing water.

As much as the Japanese sand garden is about sand it is about stones. The use of the stones is carried out in a manner so as to suggest several diverse items. In some cases the positioning of the stones may truly be telling the tale of an ancient battle. In other people the stones can be utilised to portray an image of a dragon.

Considering that the idea of the sand garden revolves about Zen Buddhism you'll uncover the tallest rock inside the sand pit to be representing Buddha. The smaller stones accompanying the bigger one are meant to be the youngsters, followers, animals or other creatures.

The profound symbolism has its roots embedded in ancient Japanese culture. You will discover there to be a good garden bench strategically located within the garden to offer the visitor a chance to sit and observe the meditative sand garden. Traditionally the Japanese would in no way enter a sand garden. Rather they would observe it from the outside since entering the garden space would disturb the delicate composition.

The concept of the Japanese sand garden is taken by a lot of westerners as an actual therapeutic remedy to accomplish peace of mind. They have adopted this school of thought in total from ancient Japanese tradition. For other people it really is the mere aesthetic appeal and distinctive look of the Japanese sand garden that intrigues them.

Even for those who have no interest in Japanese sand gardens for their meditative purposes, you can not deny their harmonious atmosphere and lovely appearance. These are symbolic gardens that have retained their appeal through the centuries and their increased popularity is enough proof of that.




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