Hi there.
The drop on a large lotus leaf is as beautiful as a crystal. It’s been raining on and off. How is everyone doing in this unstable weather? I hope everyone is doing okay. I guess some of you may have gone out for the first time in a while during this three-day weekend. Covid cases are surging again, so please take care of yourself and enjoy your holiday.
Empty Space and Spirit
We have worked on various types of gardens, but it may have been a while since we have constructed a Japanese-style garden like the photo below. A Japanese Zen rock garden is often seen in temples, but this time we constructed it in front of a store opening soon. We used Shirakawa gravel and landscape stones to create a landscape on a large plot.
Stones are placed as if they were small islands floating in the ocean of white gravel, which reminds me of the Hojo rock garden of Ryoan-ji Temple. The empty space between the stones and the gravel reminds us of the flow of the sea or a river even though there is no water. When positioning stones, we pay attention to the “energy” that each stone has. The energy is invisible, but you can feel it from the shape and size of each stone. We place stones strategically but in a naturalistic way with a sense of balance.
We tend to want to fill empty space up with something. That’s why positioning stones is way more difficult than it looks. Creating a beautiful garden requires an aesthetic sense and a deep understanding of the concept of ma (interval or space).
The stone wall is finished by Nomen-zumi (Stacking natural stones as they are), looking massive with large stones. The retaining wall at the back has a natural texture and integrates well with the architecture of the traditional Japanese house.
What scene does this rock garden remind you of? I’m sure that each of you will have a different scene reflected in this garden. I hope this garden, which consists of white space and stone, will touch your heart quietly.
The garden behind the rock garden is almost finished too. I will continue to follow the project until its completion, so please stay tuned for further updates.