ao ishi a blue-green chlorite schist
bonseki stones suggesting natural settings displayed on a dry tray
chozubachia water laver
gohei sacred paper streamer
hensei-gan metamorphic rocks with an extremely hard texture
hinbon seki a horizontally arranged triad of rocks
hira-niwa the flat garden style common to stone gardens
hojo the abbot’s quarters in a temple complex
inu-bashiri narrow strips of small stones running between a wall and garden
ishi-tate-so priests trained in the art of setting stones
ishi wo taten koto the art of setting stones.
ishi usu flat-surfaced millstones
iwakura rocks worshipped as deities
iwasaka divine boundaries
kami the Shinto gods
kasei-gan rough igneous rocks
kekkai “border zones” marking the boundaries between the human and sacred
kiyome-no-mori two cones of sand in the forecourt of Shinto shrines, denoting purity
kansho niwa a contemplation garden
karesansui a dry landscape garden
karikomi topiary art
kirishi cut rocks
masago granite that becomes grainy sand
mikage ishi granite
mitate-mono recycled or requisitioned items for garden use
miyabi grace and refinement
mu nothingness
mujo the idea of impermanace, connected to the Buddhist concept of ukiyo, the “floating world“
mutei the most simple and minimalist of stone gardens, literally “garden of emptiness“
nachiguro black pebbles sometimes used at the edges of gardens
nantei a sand-covered courtyard positioned south of the shinden villas
neribei clay walls
niwa a term used to denote gardens in general
ryu-mon-baku a “dragon’s-gate-waterfall” made from rocks rather than actual water
Sakutei-ki an important eleventh-century gardening manual
sanzonseki a cluster of three rocks representing Mount Sumeru or Mount Horai
sensui kawaramono outcasts who lived on the banks of rivers, some of whom became skillful gardeners
shakkei “borrowed view“ incorporated into a garden
shiki no himorogi sacred precincts set aside for ritual purifications
shime-nawa sacred rope
shinden Chinese-inspired symmetrically arranged residences of the nobility
shinden-zukuri an architectural style associated with Heian period palaces
Shinto Japan’s native animist-based religion
shira-kawa-suna sand taken from the Shirakawa River
shishin soo ancient site-determining concept based on the belief that designated areas are under the protection of four gods
shoin the abbot’s study adjacent to the garden
shoin-zukuri a Zen temple design postdating the shinden-zukuri
shomoji a low social class of sutra readers, whose services were also required as palace manual gardeners
Shumisen a sacred mountain at the center of the Buddhist cosmos
suisei-gan smooth, water-worn sedimentary rocks
suiseki miniature stones placed in watered trays to evoke landscapes
suteishi nameless or discarded rocks randomly placed to give the impression of spontaneity
teien a formal Japanese garden
tsuboniwa a courtyard garden
tsukubai a stone water basin
wabi-sabi the beauty of old and timeworn things
yohaku-no-bi aesthetic describing the beauty of empty but expressive space
yuniwa designated sacred plots