枯山水(かれさんすい)

かれさんすい
noun
dry landscape garden; rock garden
cultureart
1. dry landscape garden; Zen rock garden
A Japanese garden style that uses no water: raked white gravel or sand stands for water, and rocks for mountains or islands. Closely associated with Zen temples.
枯山水(かれさんすい)の庭(にわ)。
A dry landscape garden.
龍安寺(りょうあんじ)の石庭(せきてい)は枯山水(かれさんすい)で有名(ゆうめい)だ。
The rock garden at Ryōanji is famous as a dry landscape garden.
枯山水(かれさんすい)では、白(しろ)い砂(すな)に描(えが)かれた模様(もよう)が水(みず)の流(なが)れを表(あらわ)している。
In a dry landscape garden, the patterns raked into the white sand represent flowing water.

枯(か)れる (to dry up) + 山水(さんすい) (landscape, literally 'mountains and water').

Cultural note

The best-known examples are at Kyoto Zen temples such as 龍安寺(りょうあんじ) and 大徳寺(だいとくじ). Gardeners rake the gravel into ripple patterns, and the garden is meant to be viewed from a veranda, not walked through.

Related words

Related Words

Related: 日本庭園(にほんていえん) (Japanese garden in general)
Related: 禅(ぜん) (Zen)
Related: 禅寺(ぜんでら) (Zen temple)
general
Added 2026.10.2 4:37 · Revised 2026.10.2 22:51
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