Wallking on water : Japanese pond

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

I was trying to photograph our stone pond in the garden when Miles stepped right into it.

This is our attempt at Karesansui ?a form of Japanese garden often called ?mindscapes?-which uses stone to make symbolic representations of natural landscapes.

Unlike traditional Japanese gardens, there is no water present in Karesansui gardens (or the karesansui compartment of a garden). There is gravel or sand, raked or not raked, that symbolizes sea, ocean, rivers or lakes.

Here we have used black granite to represent water.

This style first appeared in Japan in the Muromachi period (1392-1568).


Meanwhile our attempts at a Karesansui garden are a constant battle with nature because the essence of it is that it is perfect, always in a pristine condition, something that is difficult in a Scottish climate with wind, rain and leaves.