In Japan, nothing is as the senses perceive
In preparation for my Japan garden tour, I have been spending a lot of time with a superb new book by Yoko Kawaguchi called Japanese Zen Gardens ( Quayside, $ 55). Born in Tokyo, Kawaguchi was educated in the U. S. and here in Canada, and now lives in the U. K. where she lectures on Japanese garden history and has been a popular guest on top BBC radio shows. In her new book, she takes a detailed look at various types of Zen temple gardens, from early pond gardens inspired by Buddhist ideas of paradise to the most abstract and esoteric style of gardening, such as Ryoan- ji garden’s famous gravel- raked patterns and carefully placed rocks. As well as helping us to understand the thinking behind some of these amazing gardens, Kawaguchi also uses her book to teach about the key symbols and motifs in Zen temple gardens, such as images of the crane and turtle as symbols of longevity and good fortune. I also found it interesting, for instance, that the fi rst fi sh brought into the ponds in these gardens were placed by fi shermen who thought they would be a great symbol of the sanctity of all life. Of course, it is fascinating to hear what Kawaguchi thinks of the temple gardens we will visit. Of the Saiho- ji ( moss temple garden) she says: “Among these surroundings, it seems possible to regain one’s serenity of mind and spirit. This seems to be the perfect place to seek the enlightenment that Zen Buddhism speaks of.” It will be interesting to see a garden devoted to moss, especially coming from a garden culture where we loathe moss and seek to eradicate it at every opportunity as if it were a pernicious weed. I can’t wait to take the stroll path around the pond and see the serene twin islands in the centre — the Island of the Setting Sun and the Island of the Rising Sun — and the oldest example in Japan of the classic dry waterfall, designed to challenge the imagination of the beholder. The glorious Golden Pavilion ( Kinkaku- ji garden) is, of course, one we cannot miss. Let’s hope the weather co- operates and the temple is magnifi cently refl ected in the pond as it is in all the famous photographs of it. Dating back to the 14th century, this garden is considered to be the perfect vision of paradise. In 1950, it was burned to the ground by a mad monk, but was reconstructed fi ve years later and was re- gilded in 1987 with more than 200,000 sheets of gold leaf. But the most intellectually, visually and artistically challenging of the gardens we will visit will be Ryoan- ji with its famous “kare- sanui” ( dry landscape). Says Kawaguchi: “It is totally fl at, covered in fi ne raked Shirakawa gravel and contains no trees or shrubs. Its 15 stones are one of the greatest mysteries of Japanese garden history.” I am grateful to Kawaguchi for letting me in on the secret of perspective within this garden — that the height of the walls is gradually decreased as they converge at the southwest corner to create the illusion of greater depth and distance. But how to understand the raked gravel and the symbolism of the 15 stones? “Attempts made to interpret — to understand — the Ryoan- ji garden, have been myriad. One is that the stones represent sensory phenomena, while the empty space stands for mu ( emptiness) — the religious philosophical Buddhists believe that nothing exists as the senses perceive or the mind conceives of them. This, it must be noted, is not the same as saying nothing exists.” It will be fascinating to hear what my group makes of this garden and the impact it has on each of us.