HISTORICAL CONTEXT


Japanese aristocrats from at least mid-eighth century customarily had gardens near their homes. During the Heian period (794-1185) a somewhat standard type of garden matured in concert with the shinden type of courtier mansion. Later in the Heian period, with the increased popularity of Pure Land Buddhism, the shinden style of architecture and garden was suited to the construction of temples that were created to be representations on earth of Amida's paradise in the western realm of the universe. During the medieval age, the Japanese began experimenting in unique and abstract ways with the use of rocks, although still maintaining such features of their traditional garden as the pond, stream, and artificial island. From then on, rocks of varying shapes and textures were increasingly used to represent both natural formations and man-made structures, such as mountains, cliffs, waterfalls, and bridges. In addition, sand and white pebbles were employed as "water" and therefore, in some works, the pond was eliminated, which for many centuries had been the central highlight of the Japanese garden.

It was during and after the Higashiyama epoch (second half of the fifteenth century) that the greatest of the medieval dry rock gardens, known as kare-sansui or "withered landscapes," were built on the grounds of Zen temples. Possibly, the most famous Japanese rock garden is that at Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto. The earliest temple recorded on this site dates from 983. It was destroyed during the Onin Wars (1467-77). The garden may have been laid out during the rebuilding of 1488. Its derivation most probably comes from a mixture of sources-the small tray gardens of China and Japan, the pure pebble ground coverings of sanctified Shinto precincts, and the style of landscape paintings favored by the Zen monks. Its original layout and intention are still contestable, with some experts alleging that it once contained trees and plants and has recently been reduced.


Artistic context

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