Ryoanji is the most famous Zen Rock Garden in the world. Open any book on Zen Rock Gardens and you will probably see a picture like the one to the left minus all the people. Since there are plenty of pictures of the rock part I have mostly included photos of the other parts of Ryoanji. There is a large and beautiful park below the rock garden centered around a large lotus pond. These areas are nice because the tourists who over run the rock garden mostly ignore this lower half of the garden. If you are willing to get up early they open the garden gates at 6am and allow people to enter with out charge. Be sure to know the phrase ohayo gozaimus (good morning) as you say it a lot to all the retired couples out for morning walks in the garden.
This is a view across the lotus pond to a small island with a Shinto shrine on it. The large triangle is a support for a pine tree leaning over the pond.
This is a wisteria arbor with benches for sitting and admiring the garden view.
The trunk of the wisteria
A Buddha sitting on a lotus.
The Shinto Shrine pictured above from across the pond. Even though Ryoanji is a Zen Buddhist temple it is common for Shinto and Buddhist shrines to be combined. Shinto is the native religion of Japan and centers of worshiping spirits in nature and ancestors. Inside the little structure is a small statue which is dressed up and represents a local spirit.
A rock in the rock garden with willow leaves reaching over the wall.
This is the approach to the tea house. You can see the door to the tea house on the right. What was interesting was this pine tree which was growing up through the building.
The lotus pond
This is the wash basin of Ryoanji
This is a close up of the wash basin. Around the edge are four characters which say that the happy person is happy with what they have.
This is the Buddha Hall of Ryoanji. Inside is a statue of the Buddha as well as relics of the temple. This building is new having been built in the early 1980s. What was really nice about it was that it is built from Hinoki Cyprus, which has a rich cedar smell to it. We could not take pictures inside so I can only show you the outside of the building.
A roof decoration on the Buddha Hall.
Ryoanji had beautiful moss. Here you can see it being held back by old roof tiles.
Ryoanji is the most famous Zen Rock Garden in the world. Open any book on Zen Rock Gardens and you will probably see a picture like the one to the left minus all the people. Since there are plenty of pictures of the rock part I have mostly included photos of the other parts of Ryoanji. There is a large and beautiful park below the rock garden centered around a large lotus pond. These areas are nice because the tourists who over run the rock garden mostly ignore this lower half of the garden. If you are willing to get up early they open the garden gates at 6am and allow people to enter with out charge. Be sure to know the phrase ohayo gozaimus (good morning) as you say it a lot to all the retired couples out for morning walks in the garden.
This is a view across the lotus pond to a small island with a Shinto shrine on it. The large triangle is a support for a pine tree leaning over the pond.
This is a wisteria arbor with benches for sitting and admiring the garden view.
The trunk of the wisteria
A Buddha sitting on a lotus.
The Shinto Shrine pictured above from across the pond. Even though Ryoanji is a Zen Buddhist temple it is common for Shinto and Buddhist shrines to be combined. Shinto is the native religion of Japan and centers of worshiping spirits in nature and ancestors. Inside the little structure is a small statue which is dressed up and represents a local spirit. 
A rock in the rock garden with willow leaves reaching over the wall.
This is the approach to the tea house. You can see the door to the tea house on the right. What was interesting was this pine tree which was growing up through the building.
The lotus pond
This is the wash basin of Ryoanji
This is a close up of the wash basin. Around the edge are four characters which say that the happy person is happy with what they have.
This is the Buddha Hall of Ryoanji. Inside is a statue of the Buddha as well as relics of the temple. This building is new having been built in the early 1980s. What was really nice about it was that it is built from Hinoki Cyprus, which has a rich cedar smell to it. We could not take pictures inside so I can only show you the outside of the building.
A roof decoration on the Buddha Hall.
Ryoanji had beautiful moss. Here you can see it being held back by old roof tiles.
No comments:
Post a Comment