Moss garden in Japan

• Garden mosses in Japan

Many attractive gardens, moss can be seen in Kyoto - the ancient capital of Japan, where the mountains surrounding the city provide a constant humidity, and long summer rainy season create favorable conditions for the growth and survival of mosses. Perhaps the most famous of all "kokedera" or temples moss - Temple Koinzan Sayhodzhi (Koinzan Saihoji), located at the foot of Mount Koinzan in western Kyoto.

Mosses are always highly prized as a traditional attribute of a Japanese garden. Some of the Japanese gardens have been known since the 7th century AD. The earliest of them were based on Chinese traditions, but soon the Japanese gardens have acquired its own character and style, reminiscent of the Japanese landscape.

The idea of the garden reflects the philosophy of traditional Shinto, according to which the world is perceived as "filled with primeval forces of creation"

Leading the history of its occurrence in the modern interpretation of the era of feudalism in Japan (12-19 century), moss gardens became part of the Japanese tradition. Translated from the Japanese "koke" means "moss" and "dera" - "the temple sanctuary," hence the name of the temple (the garden) moss "Kokedera".

For a thousand years ago, the monks Zen Buddhists wrote about mosses in gardens at the temples. Although the rest of the world is only now beginning to come to an understanding and attempts to download a balanced calm reigning in the gardens of moss.

This temple was founded in the Nara period monk Goki. During the civil wars the church was completely destroyed, and the garden was lost. In 1339, the famous teacher Muso caucus began to restore the garden. After the master's death his disciples continued to work for a century. As the garden of revival it naturally began to grow moss, and Muso caucus made the foundation of the garden.

Today in the garden Moss There are about 130 species. They are covered with a thick carpet of soil, rocks, bridges, islands, tree trunks. The famous garden is situated at the eastern base of the temple. In the center of the garden is a pond, which is shaped like the Chinese character "heart" or "mind" and consists of three small islands.