Japanese Zen gardens (karesansui) are usually a combination of sand, rocks, and sometimes small parcels of moss and carefully trimmed shrubs. But in some cases, like in this photo taken at Ryogen-in, Kyoto, the garden designer didn’t used sand at all, creating a rare Zen garden entirely of moss.

Thus, the symbolism of the Zen garden changes, because if normally the sand represents the water, a continuously changing element, in this case the moss symbolizes tradition, stability, maturity…

Moss covered Japanese Zen Garden, Ryogin-tei, Ryogen-in Temple, Kyoto

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