Mirei Shigemori's Gardens (2)---Garden of Dragon

The garden of dragon is in Ryo-gin-an （龍吟庵) in Tofuku-ji temple.

The garden of Ryo-gin-an consists of 3 sections: the southern garden, the western garden and the eastern garden.

The southern garden called "The garden of nothing" is composed of only a bamboo fence and raked gravel. Although it is so simple, the pattern of lightning gives us the feeling of expectation.

(Above: "The garden of nothing")

A dramatic dry landscape garden is waiting for you in the western garden situated in the rear of the southern garden.

(Above: "The garden of dragon")

It is the garden of dragon. Two standing blue stones symbolize the head of dragon. The surrounding stones laid spirally represent the dragon's body.

The white gravel represents the ocean and the black one is rain clouds. Dragons are said to rise to heaven with rain clouds.

The eastern garden is based on an anecdote of the founder of Tofukuji temple: when the founder was a child, he was abandoned in a mountain. At that time, two dogs protected him against wolves' attack and he survived. 

(Above: The eastern garden)

The stone laid in the center represents the founder and the stones on both sides are the dogs surrounded by wolves. The red gravel is unique.

Nowadays, Shigemori's garden is one of the most popular Japanese gardens attracting attention even from overseas.

 

Note: Although there are lots of notable gardens in Kyoto, all the gardens are not open to the public. For example, 15 among 50 gardens designated cultural properties are usually closed (including the garden in Ryo-gin-an). However there are special days that we have opportunities to see some of them.

The event called "The Winter Trip to Kyoto" is the one that is held from mid-January to mid-March every year.

I visited  Ryo-gin-an during the event several years ago.

 

Mirei Shigemori's Formative Gardens

Mirei Shigemori (1896-1975) is the great master of garden making in the 20th century.

He made a lot of distinctive dry landscape gardens. However his garden design is so unique that the evaluation has been divided into two.

The formation of traditional dry landscape gardens is rather horizontal and stable. But his gardens look unstable using huge vertical stones. 

One of his masterworks is in Tofukuji temple （東福寺）in Kyoto.

The garden (built in 1939) consists of 4 different thematic small gardens surrounding the abbot's quarter, "Hojo".

The southern garden represents the holy islands in the ocean.

(Above: His stone arrangement is unique and dynamic.)

 The western garden is a geometrical pattern composed of azalea-shrubs trimmed low, thick moss and white gravel. This checkered pattern is called "Seiden"  named after an old Chinese way of dividing the land.

(Above: The western garden)

The northern garden made of moss and flagstones looks like contemporary art; this checkered pattern is often compared to Mondrian's painting. Those flagstones have been reused from an old gate of the temple.

(Above: The northern garden covered with white frost)

The eastern garden symbolizes the seven stars called the Big Dipper. Shigemori created the peace and tranquility of the universe in this narrow space.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Above: The eastern garden. These cylindrical stones were originally foundation stones of a bathroom in the temple)

Shigemori's lifelong theme to make gardens was "The eternal modern". I think the gardens in Tofukuji temple express well his thoughts.

---to be concluded---

 

The Tour of the Seven Gods of Hachioji

I love the tour of the seven deities of good luck, "The Shichifukujin (七福神）" and I have visited several Shichifukujin in various districts.

However I have never been to the Shichifukujin of Hachioji though I  live here for many years. "The darkest place is under the candlestick" as the proverb says.

So I decided to go round the Shichifukujin of Hachioji this new year. I got a tour map on the Internet and started from Hachioji station. You can get the map at every temple of the Shichifukujin.

I walked zigzag in the town. Since there were a lot of visitors, I could easily find the temples. The birthplaces of the seven dieties are India, Chaina and Japan.  And each of the deities brings different good luck. 

(Above: The commemorative stamps of the Shichifukujin tour)

 

Usually the tour of the Shichifukujin ends at the seventh temple. However there is one more temple to visit here. Hachioji has the eighth deity and they say "The Hachifukujin (八福神）" named after the name of the city,　Hachioji (八王子).  

 

The last templ was on a hillside. The view from the temple was wonderful.