Brief Update

So as not to be redundant, I have just included the outline of my presentation. The actual information will be included in my presentation.

Japanese stone gardens have been an object of fascination for foreigners for centuries.

-inform of basic history, belief

- In Sakuteiki, it is shown that the oldest Japanese garden manuals equate the creation of a garden with setting the stones. The fundamental principles, simplicity and calmness, I have summarized above, but the history that provoked the mediation that the garden is meant for is much more complex. There is little doubt that the use of stones and their reverence is rooted in Shinto belief, but the knowledge of stone worship in prehistoric Japan is limited. Stones and their placement are of major concern in garden design today probably because of their significance in the past. Their initial spiritual connection cannot be denied; poor placement was thought to lead to misfortune and illness.

-examine the zen principles and purpose that form the stone garden

-Obviously, to understand the Japanese stone gardens you must understand the views from which they were founded; primarily Zen thought. Very generally, Zen thought is derived from Mahayana Buddhism, circulating around meditation. The garden is structured thus to elicit tranquility and guide the meditator to a higher state of calmness.

-analyze mysterious simplicity that is both aesthetically pleasing and intriguing.

- identifying the elements that determine whether or not form does follow function.

There are two basic, crucial components: large stones, and smaller ones. Their placement is not as random as they appear. The larger stones are the main object and the smaller stones used to guide the eye towards them, raked in strategic curves leading to them or encircling them, focusing the eye. The smaller stones are used to create a plane for the larger stone centerpieces to sit, and are utilized to make soothing lines around them in a clear path for the viewer to follow them. This process is soothing and results in the simple design before you.

-examples

                - Ginkakuji in Kyoto, Daitokuji complex

-discuss our attraction, still present today

                -meaningless, maybe, but not effectless

                -historically rich

-cite list