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tanzaku ishi
短冊石

tanzaku stones


A granite block dressed to an elongated rectangular form and used in a garden path. Two blocks are usually laid in parallel and partially overlapping, with upper surfaces level. This arrangement has been used in tea gardens since the Azuchi-Momoyama period. Tanzaku is the name for a strip of fancy paper used for writing haiku and other short poems.


Japanese Garden Dictionary: A Glossary for Japanese Gardens and Their History
(C) 2010 by Ono Kenkichi and Walter Edwards. All rights reserved.