October 24, 2010

A Karesansui garden in Kodai-ji (Kyoto)


This famous beautiful garden (Kita-niwa) is located to the east of the Kita-shoin (north library) of the Entoku-in (perfect mercy house) sub-temple of Kodai-ji.

Though this garden had been originally the Chisen (pond and spring) garden of the Hushimi castle, it was modified into a Karesansui (dry landscape) style when it was moved to this temple. In later ages, Kobori Enshu polished up this garden and added refinements to it.

The rocks rising about the middle symbolically represents the landscape of the Horai-zan (the Isle of Eternal Youth).

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