Moss Garden

苔庭 / 14th century– / Style / Garden Styles

The garden grown by time and humidity, typified by Saihō-ji where a hundred species of moss carpet the ground — surfaces composed only of green gradation, a demonstration of the balance between tending and letting be.

Gradations of moss / Designed dappled light / Time as the main material / The presence of humidity

Moss Garden — 西芳寺の苔庭（CC BY 4.0）Moss Garden — 苔の面（CC BY 4.0）
西芳寺の苔庭（CC BY 4.0） ／ 苔の面（CC BY 4.0）

Dictionary entry

Best used for
Comparing primary sources and canonical works · Extracting principles that transfer to other media
Type
Observe the letters, signs and scale of reference works
Composition
Extract the one structure that governs gaze and information
Material
Verify the materials and behaviors specific to era, region and process
Caution
Don't reduce it to surface signs. Verify the context of era, region, technology and makers.
Further study
Saihō-ji / the moss species palette / the keeping of sugi-goke

Related entries

Back to index position