Example Zen Gardens

Zen Gardens 枯山水 karesansui 35 Shore Road West Harwich

This article includes text from several public sources – and pictures from 35 Shore Road.

www. 35ShoreRoad .com Google : 35ShoreRoad

Zen Gardens

ZEN Gardens are often called Japanese rock gardens or "dry landscape" gardens. They create a miniature, stylized landscape through careful composition and arrangements of rocks, water, moss, trees and bushes, and gravel or sand (which represent ripples in water). Zen gardens are usually relatively small and meant to be seen while seated from a single viewpoint outside the garden, such as the porch of the hojo , the residence of the chief monk of the temple or monastery.

The gardens of the emperors and nobles were designed for recreation and aesthetic pleasure – while the gardens of Buddhist temples were designed for meditation and contemplation. Classical Zen gardens were created at temples of Zen Buddhism in Kyoto, Japan during the 14 th – 16 th centuries. They were intended to imitate the essence of nature and to serve as an aid to meditation about the true meaning of life – to stimulate soothing ideas by simply being surrounded by the presence and beauty of the garden.

( 枯山水 karesansui ) Since the end of the 19th century, Japanese gardens have also been adapted to Western settings. The selection and placement of rocks is an important part of many modern Japanese rock gardens. When creating a “mountain effect” designers use igneous volcanic rocks – rugged mountain rocks with sharp edges. They use smooth sedimentary rocks for the borders of gravel "rivers" or "seashores.“ In Chinese gardens of the Song dynasty, individual rocks that looked like animals – or had other unusual features – were the star attractions of the garden. In Japanese gardens, individual rocks are not stars – the goal is harmony and composition.

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A common arrangement is one or more groups of three rocks. One common triad arrangement has a tall vertical

rock flanked by two smaller rocks. This group represents the Buddha and his two attendants. Alignment of the rocks is also very important to the

design of a Zen garden. When you are sitting on the patio deck of 35 Shore Road – just to the left of the sliding doors – the large rock shown in the bottom picture is perfectly aligned with the large rock at the end of the jetty.

Zen Gardens

Other important principles that guide the use of rocks in a Zen garden are: vary their color, shape and size avoid rocks with bright colors which might distract the viewer or interfere with meditation

There is evidence that Shinto priests were the first to place the rocks in their “dry” gardens. And they used many different types and sizes of rocks. We’ve seen some BIG rocks in these pictures – but small rocks are also important. Gravel is often used in Zen gardens, rather than sand, because it is less disturbed by rain and wind. Of course, in a waterfront home you have the natural sand on the beach.

make certain that the grains in the rocks run in the same direction put the rocks in random places to add spontaneity balance the number of vertical and horizontal rocks.

Trees of any kind and size (small to moderate) can be placed in your Zen garden. Pine, bamboo, flowering plum and cherry trees are common.

In the Shinto religion different trees have different meanings and often represent living long – and weathering adversity. Used for practical purposes, trees add color to a plain garden. ( 枯山水 karesansui )

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Flowers and Plants are carefully chosen by their season of flowering. Formal flowerbeds are rare in older gardens, but more common in modern gardens.

Flowers and

walkways seen at

# 35 Shore Road.

Trees are carefully chosen and arranged for their colors. In a beach-front location a large piece of driftwood is especially meaningful. Little in a Japanese garden is left to chance. Each plant is chosen according to aesthetic principles, or to serve as a backdrop to certain garden features, or to create a picturesque scene – like a landscape painting or postcard.

Walkways in a Zen garden are positioned to allow you to amble, admire, and absorb.

Zen Gardens

Japanese gardens always have water – either a pond or a stream. In a dry rock garden water is represented by white sand. In Buddhist symbolism, water and stone are the Ying- Yang – two opposites that will complement and complete each other. Ponds may not have a symmetric shape. In a large garden two or more ponds may be interconnected by one or more channels or streams. Water can represent real or mythical bodies of water. Zen garden water areas provide a relaxing place for meditation – or a spot where friends and family can have quiet conversations.

The use of fish, particularly colored carp (nishike-goi), or goldfish as a decorative element in gardens was borrowed from the Chinese garden. Koi were developed from common carp in Japan in the 1820s.

The water fountain shown at left

features a unique grinding mill stone

and a small

pond that is home to a thriving

family of large goldfish.

Waterfalls are another key feature of Zen gardens. They are known to represent how the universe has an endless cycle – a universe that always changes and yet always stays the same.

( 枯山水 karesansui )

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Waterfalls can fall directly into ponds or fall in stages over rocks. If the waterfall falls directly, it is usually bordered by tall rocks and the water will hit one stone at the bottom where it enters the pond. The Zen design motif can be taken inside a house in the form of an inside waterfall. Inside waterfalls introduce a visual and audio flow of Eastern Chi into your home – and into your life. They are a very elegant way to bring one of nature’s purest substance – water – into your day-to-day life. The captivating sounds of their cascading water will rejuvenate your mind and heart. Their spectacle of sight and sound will give your house a calming ambience.

Along with its beach front setting and garden fountain, 35 Shore Road features the amazing inside waterfall shown below.

Zen Gardens 枯山水 karesansui 35 Shore Road West Harwich

Bill Silver Cape Cod Associates Cell: 508-277-1000 Bill@BillSilver.com