Hi there.
Sunscreen became a must-have item as the sun has been very strong recently. The sun is so intense that it hurts our eyes. But when you look at the surface of the lake, it shimmers in the summer sun, a beautiful sight that we can only see during this season. It is refreshing to see Lake Biwa while driving for work. Summer is not my favorite season because of its heat, but I cherish the beauty that I can find and feel during this season.
Visiting the oldest Zen Temple Kenninji
The other day, I visited Kenninji Temple, the head temple of the Rinzai Sect of Japanese Buddhism in Kyoto. A friend of mine wanted to learn about the oldest Zen temple since she works in a Rinzai temple. So, I showed her around the temple. Unlike the Soto Zen, which is the largest of the three traditional sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism, Rinzai Zen in Japan today is not a single organized body. So perhaps something interesting would be discovered when comparing the various sects.
Since we both studied landscape architecture, we were keen to view gardens in the temple. There is a garden called “Chouon-tei,” which was created in the Heisei era under the supervision of Yasuo Kitayama. It is hard to believe that the garden was created recently, as it harmonized so well with the old building. Sunbeams was shining through the maple trees onto sanzonseki*(triad stones) placed in the center of the garden. It was a breathtaking sight. I was just speechless when I saw it.
Sanzonseki* is a stone arrangement composed of a large stone in the center and two smaller ones to its right and left. The central one represents the main figure of a Buddhist trinity, and the side ones the attendants.
The garden was designed with a perfect view from all directions. And the maple trees planted in the four corners extend their branches and leaves as if they envelop the space and the viewers. The fresh green hair moss was also beautiful. The other visitors seemed to be lost in thought as they gazed at the garden.
This is the Daioen Garden with beautiful white sand, designed by Kumakichi Kato in the early Showa period. The white sand spreads out grandly, and the ripple pattern reminds one of an ocean or a large river. And it shimmered in the sunlight like the surface of a lake, which was impressive. The other day, we also created a garden with landscape rocks and moss islands. Although the garden is way bigger than the one we made, we can learn a lot from it. For example, the way to create a blank space and the way to place stones will be helpful for our future garden design.
A friend who works in a temple said it is difficult to deal with weeds during this season. Seeing the beautiful gardens in the temple, she empathized with the people who maintain this garden very well. I think it is a kind of occupational hazard, but I couldn't help but wonder how often they maintain these gardens.
I have visited Kenninji several times since moving to the Kansai region. But this time, I could expand my knowledge as I came with a friend who is also studying landscape gardening. I hope to develop an aesthetic eye by looking at more beautiful things to design gardens.