Surely, what secrets does this stone hold? This is the \u9f8d\u5b89\u5bfa\u5c71 Stone. It stands as a silent testament to the temple’s rich history. The temple is called Ryōan-ji. It is a Zen temple in northwest Kyoto.
Ryōan-ji belongs to the Myōshin-ji school. This is the Rinzai branch of Zen Buddhism. The Ryōan-ji garden is a prime example of kare-sansui. This means “dry landscape”. It is a refined Japanese Zen temple garden design. It features rock formations and smooth pebbles. These pebbles are raked into linear patterns. This facilitates meditation. The temple and gardens are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They are also listed as one of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.
The site was once an estate of the Fujiwara clan in the 11th century. Fujiwara Saneyoshi built the first temple Daiju-in and the large pond. In 1450, Hosokawa Katsumoto acquired the land. He built his residence and founded Ryōan-ji temple. The temple was destroyed during the Ōnin War. Hosokawa Katsumoto died in 1473. His son Hosokawa Masamoto rebuilt the temple in 1488.
Ryōan-ji served as a mausoleum for several emperors. Their tombs are in the “Seven Imperial Tombs”. These emperors include Uda, Kazan, Ichijō, Go-Suzaku, Go-Reizei, Go-Sanjō and Horikawa. Emperor Meiji ordered the restoration of these imperial sepulchers in the 19th century. This brought the tombs to their present state.
There is debate about who built the garden and when. Most sources date it to the late 15th century. Some say Hosokawa Katsumoto built it between 1450 and 1473. Others attribute it to his son, Hosokawa Masamoto, around 1488. Some suggest Sōami, a landscape painter and monk, built the garden. Other authors dispute this. Some say it was built in the early 16th century. Still, others believe it was built during the Edo period between 1618 and 1680.
The conclusive history is based on documentary sources. Hosokawa Katsumoto founded Ryōan-ji temple in 1450. The complex burned down during the Ōnin War. His son Masamoto rebuilt it at the end of the century. First descriptions of a garden date from 1680 to 1682. It described nine big stones representing Tiger Cubs Crossing the Water. The garden has fifteen stones now. It was clearly different from what we see today.
A fire destroyed the buildings in 1779. Rubble was dumped in the garden. Akisato Ritō, a garden writer, redid the garden. He published a picture of his garden in 1799. It showed the garden as it looks today. One big stone at the back is partly buried. It has two names carved in it. These are probably names of stone workers. There is no evidence of Zen monks working on the garden.
The temple’s name is tied to its famous Zen garden. It is a karesansui rock garden. It is thought to have been built in the late 15th century. The garden is a rectangle of 248 square meters. It contains fifteen stones of different sizes. They are arranged in five groups. White gravel surrounds the stones. Monks carefully rake the gravel each day. Moss is the only vegetation around the stones.
The garden is meant to be viewed from the veranda. This is the residence of the abbot. The stones are placed so that the entire composition cannot be seen at once. The wall behind the garden is important. It is made of clay. It has been stained by age. The tile roof was restored with tree bark in 1977. The garden came up higher than before when it was rebuilt in 1799.
Ryōan-ji also has a water garden called Kyoyochi Pond. It was built in the 12th century. Cherry trees have recently been planted northwest of the pond. Ryōan-ji has a teahouse and tea garden from the 17th century. A stone water basin sits near the teahouse. This is the Ryōan-ji tsukubai. The user must bend over to use it. The kanji on the basin translates to “I only know satisfaction”.
The stone stands as a reminder of the complex history. It embodies the Zen principles of simplicity and meditation. It invites contemplation and reflection.