Japanese Myst and Moss

The idea of a traditional Japanese garden is a philosophy of Shintoism, according to which the surrounding world is perceived as "filled with the primordial forces of creation." Traditionally, Japanese horticulture has highly valued mosses as a natural and highly decorative part of the landscape. Japanese gardens have been known since the 7th century AD, the earliest were the successors of Chinese traditions, but after a short time the gardens gained their unique face, character and style reminiscent of the Japanese landscape. Moss gardens coexisted along with the sandy garden as a special kind of park, where the texture of the surface and various shades of green were accentuated. Many amazing moss gardens can be seen in Kyoto. Kyoto is the ancient capital of Japan, the climate of this area is created by the mountains surrounding the city, which provide constant humidity, the rainy seasons create excellent conditions for the growth and survival of mosses. Saihoji Monastery is home to perhaps the most famous moss garden, Saihoji. The Saihoji Monastery, founded at the dawn of Japanese Buddhism, was planned from the very beginning as a garden. The monk Geki founded the temple during the Nara period (710-794), and a garden typical of that time was laid near it with reservoirs on which it was possible to ride boats, pavilions, gazebos and islands. During the internecine wars, the buildings burned several times, and the garden almost died. The famous monk-gardener Muso Soseki (Kokushi) in 1339 restored a garden with a pond in the form of the hieroglyph "heart" and islands where white herons nest, with picturesque stone compositions and ladders. After the death of the master, his students continued to work for a century. As the garden was revived, mosses began to grow naturally in it, and Muso Kokushi made them the basis of the garden. Today there are 130 species of them in the Moss garden. Mosses cover not only the stones with a thick carpet, but also the space all around.Egrets have returned to the islands and are nesting. In addition, the presence of moss indicates a good ecology of this place. #trip #garden