Ōshoin of Honganji temple is a building thought to have been completed in 1632, and a garden to the west of it is also thought to have been built at about that time. The garden is a dry landscape garden composed of a dry waterfall stone arrangement, a dry stream of cobbles, an ocean symbolized by an expanse of small white pebbles, and stone ararangements of a tortoise island and a crane island. It is called "Kokei no niwa" (Tiger valley garden). Numerous large upright stones, two stone bridges made with single large dressed stones, and thickly planted cycads give the garden a splendid landscape. It is designated a national special historic site and special scenic spot, and is inscribed on the World Heritage list as one of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto. It is located in Shimogyō ward, Kyoto.
Japanese Garden Dictionary: A Glossary for Japanese Gardens and Their History
(C) 2010 by Ono Kenkichi and Walter Edwards. All rights reserved.
