Ryoanji

Ryoanji is most famous for its zen rock garden, with its 15 stones over raked gravel. The only "green" in this garden is the moss, and the minimalism of zen gardens is represented here. There has been much speculation behind the layout and meaning of this garden, but the focus of this post is on the context of the garden. Behind the zen garden's walls, there exists a density of trees, of varying heights, species, and shape, all of which become edited out when looking at the zen garden and serve to contrast the white of the gravel and the sharp greens of the trees. To the right of the viewing veranda, there is an often overlooked garden, filled with the same character of trees as the ones that exist beyond the wall. It is a cooler place, with shade and grass, and again, highlights the contrast between the two. It is as if the greenery behind the wall has suddenly and unexpectedly supplanted itself within the zen garden, giving the eyes rest from the glaringly bright white gravel and shifting the background to the foreground. They are only in view of each other in the peripheral sense, and it is has greater contrast because of the shift in perception, which underscores the rock garden in its simplicity.