The Garden of Ryotanji Temple 龍潭寺庭園

Official explanation

Ryotanji’s garden was designed by Kobori Enshu (1579–1647) in the chisen kansho or “pond-appreciation” style, a design best viewed from one spot––in this case, the main hall. The pond is designed in the shape of the kanji character for “heart” or “spirit.” The garden features a number of traditional elements of Zen temple gardens such as water and stones, as well as a variety of plants placed around rock formations that represent mountain ranges.

These miniature mountain ranges are three mounds of grass-covered earth and are surrounded by stones from the local mountains. In the center of the garden near the base of the central mound is a large stone that is the symbol of the garden. Flanking this on the western edge of the pond is the nio stone, which protects the garden. In the center of the pond is the horai ganto stone, which symbolizes Horai, the legendary home of the eight immortals in Chinese mythology.

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The round azalea bushes in the composition bloom a brilliant pink in late spring. These are complemented by heather shrubs (dodan tsutsuji) with delicate white flowers in spring and deep red leaves in the autumn. The entire garden is designed in the shape of a turtle and a crane, which are recurring motifs in Japanese culture that symbolize longevity and happiness, respectively.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.