Ryoan-ji
The rock garden at Ryoan-ji is recognised today as the quintessential Zen Buddhist garden and quite possibly the most famous garden anywhere in Japan. Its grounds had originally been the location of Tokudai-ji temple, as well as a Heian-period private estate built by Tokudaiji Saneyoshi. It is thought that in around 1450, Hosokawa Katsumoto acquired land from the Tokudaiji clan in order to make way for the building of the Ryoan-ji. Following its destruction during the Onin War, Ryoan-ji temple was re-built and became a flourishing religious institution. Today its main attraction is the world-famous zen garden – a wonder of minimalistic landscape. Here, the zen monks have created a serene atmosphere, totally free from distraction – a place in which minds were cleansed in preparation for daily sessions of meditation. The landscaper has adeptly encapsulated a natural world in a miniature and abstract form – a world in which water is represented without the use of water. The garden is laid with just 15 stones, set into a bed of raked gravel. There are no trees, flowers, plants or water features. It is both simplistic in conception as well as dramatic to look at. The ensuing calm austerity is meant to induce both meditation and self-contemplation.
Date of Construction: Built by Hosokawa Katsumoto in around 1450 on the site of the 12th century estate of Tokudaiji Saneyoshi; Re-built after its destruction in the Onin War (late 15th century); destroyed by fire in 1797 and re-built (c. 1799)
Highlights: The famous Zen garden; Oshidori-ike (“The Pond of the Mandarin Ducks”)
- Introduction to the Temple - 3:33
- The Oshidori-ike Pond - 1:22
- The Priestly Quarters - 0:40
- The Abbot's Residence - 0:48
- The Zen Garden - 6:15
- The Tsukubai - 1:04
