I’m back home in Oregon, but can’t leave the topic of Japan without revisiting some of the sites Japan is most famous for—castles and temples. At these sites, we were impressed by the intentional choice and position of rocks, often carried over great distances and implying symbolic meaning and power. Here is a sampling.
Castle of the Tokugawa shogunate in Kyoto
The Tokugawa shogunate was established in 1603 by Tokugawa Ieyasu. It endured until 1868, an incredibly long 265-year period of stability and prosperity in Japan. This period is also known as the Edo period, so named for Tokyo—then called Edo—that was the seat of political power. Kyoto, the former imperial capital, remained important as the heartland of arts and culture. So the Tokugawa family maintained a castle there, for the times when they visited Kyoto.
Nijo-jo Castle was built in 1603 by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate. It was at this castle that Tokugawa announced his appointment as Shogun to the feudal lords (called daimyo). It is also where the 15th Shogun announced the end of Tokugawa rule, and the returning of political power to the Emperor.
With the aid of funds from UNESCO—it’s a World Heritage Site—the castle was fully restored in 2011. We were not allowed to take photographs of the palace’s elegant interior, but we were most fascinated by the 400-year-old garden with its varied collection of interesting rocks.
Jay and I enjoying the garden at Nijo-jo Castle. On that day we had a guide, who took the photo. Japanese gardens are filled with symbols. For example, islands and rocks are placed so that they suggest animals like cranes and turtles that are symbols for longevity.Our guide told us that the feudal lords gave many of these rocks to the Shogun as a sign of their allegiance. Apparently, most of the rocks are from the southern part of Japan. It was therefore a huge task to bring the rocks by sea on boats and overland by rolling them on logs. The tree ferns are consistent with the lower latitude where these rocks originated—they must be carefully covered for protection from the cold in winter.At least 1/3 of each rock is buried beneath the surface, which is how they have remained (mostly) stable and upright for 400 years. I imagine the rocks were chosen for their colors, shapes and patterns. Most are metamorphic rocks that have been uplifted as part of ancient accretionary complexes formed during past periods of subduction tectonics. The left-side green rock is highly deformed and pervaded with quartz veins. The right-side rocks are quartzite (tan color) and another green-colored, vein-filled metamorphic rock.
Primary castle of the Tokugawa shogunate in Tokyo (then Edo)
We also visited the site of Tokugawa’s castle in Tokyo—a large area called the Imperial Palace and Gardens that is now home to the Emperor and his family. The area has changed much over the years, but features such as the stone walls and moats remain. When built as the center of his political power, the Shogun required feudal lords to supply building supplies of rocks and other building supplies, a method used to keep their powers in check. Large granite stones were moved from afar. The wealthier the lord, the more he had to contribute.
A rock wall, moat, and building at the edge of the Imperial Garden in Tokyo (formerly Edo).Notice the size of the granite boulders in this castle wall and imagine them being moved over large distances in the 17th century, without the benefit of modern-day equipment. No doubt many workers were needed—much of the materials and manpower were provided by the feudal lords who had to show their allegiance to the Shogun. Jay for scale.
Kinkaku-ji (temple) in a former palace
Kinkaku-ji is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto that was the center of a palace built by a local shogun in the late 14th century. The golden stupa is a Special Historic Site and a Special Place of Scenic Beauty. It was also registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1994.
Talk about geologic materials—this stupa is covered with gold leaf! It is truly stunning to see. A golden phoenix adorns the roof top. Japan was once known in the Western world as the “land of gold.” Gold mining dates back to at least the 8th century, and the country produced about 20% of the world’s gold output in the mid-17th century. The Sado Island Gold Mines, in particular, were central to Japanese gold production for many years. This may be where the gold leaf for this building has been obtained.
Ryoanh-ji (temple) with Japan’s most famous rock garden
The Ryoan-ji site is a former villa that was converted into a Zen Buddhist temple around 1450. The garden here is considered one of the finest surviving examples of kare-sansui (“dry landscape”), a refined type of garden design featuring distinctive large rocks arranged within a bed of small, carefully selected pebbles raked into patterns that facilitate meditation. Rocks of varying shapes and sizes are used to evoke a range of natural features such as mountains, islands, or animals.
It’s incredible to sit by this garden and realize it has been there for more than 500 years. There have been changes but the underlying concept was established along with the temple in 1450. The garden consists of a rectangular plot surrounded by low earthen walls, with 15 rocks laid out in small groups on patches of moss. An interesting feature of the garden’s design is that from any vantage point at least one of the rocks is always hidden from the viewer.
The meaning of the garden is uncertain. Some believe it represents the common theme of a tiger carrying cubs across a pond or of islands in a sea, while others claim it represents an abstract concept like infinity. Because the garden’s meaning has not been made explicit, it is up to each viewer to find the meaning for themself.Left two photos: closer-up views of the rock/moss collages. Notice that the rocks contain various features that probably caused them to be chosen for each specific site. Right photo: a rock within the temple’s displays. This is a rock with natural fractures—an irregular patterns called septarian cracks—that was chosen because it resembles a turtle, a longevity symbol.
Kiyomizu-dera (Pure Water Monastery)
One of the most celebrated temples of Japan, Kiyomizu-dera was founded in 780 on the site of the Otowa Waterfall. It is located in the wooded hills east of Kyoto; its red towers are visible from many parts of the city.
A view of the temple looking west across the valley where Kyoto city is located.We were struck by the interesting choice of rocks for this monument and its base. The green layered rock underlying the monument (left-side photo) is metamorphosed marine sediments, as is the red layered rock in the right-side photo. The red rock should be familiar to San Francisco residents. It is chert formed by single-celled radiolaria whose hard parts collect on the seafloor after they die. The hard parts—made of silica—form durable rocks that are commonly accreted to the continent during subduction tectonics. To learn more about how these rocks form, see my post about San Francisco: https://landscapes-revealed.net/why-are-there-so-many-hills-in-san-francisco/.
Matsunoo Taisha—Shinto Shrine of Miraculous Water and Sake
Yes—there is a shrine to sake, an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting rice! Matsunoo Taisha is located in the hills on the west side of Kyoto. It was built in 701 to worship a natural spring considered sacred because of supposed healing properties. Matsunoo Taisha is a place to pray for good health and a long life, concepts symbolized by the many statues of turtles scattered throughout the grounds. Sake brewers and miso paste makers go to the shrine to pray for a prosperous business with high-quality products. Several gardens feature significant rocks.
This garden at Matsunoo Taisha Shrine symbolizes immortality and was designed like a typical stroll gardenof the Kamakura period (1185-1333). Many blueschist rocks are arranged around a pond shaped like a crane with outstretched wings. Blueschist rocks are diagnostic of ancient subduction zones, the only place these types of metamorphic rocks are created.A torii gate marks the sacred spring the shrine is dedicated to. Just one of the many turtle statues on the shrine’s property. Also notice the large rock whose shape makes a good substitute for a watery fish habitat.
Final thoughts
Although we saw many types of rocks arranged around castles and temples, we noticed that most statues are made of granite. Here’s why.
Left-side photo. A lion made of granite outside a temple in Takayama. Notice how precise the features still are, after many years. Most of the minerals in granite are very stable. Right-side photo. A lion made of marble outside a church in Trento, Italy. Marble is metamorphosed limestone and so it consists of calcium carbonate that dissolves in water with even a small amount of acidity. Its features are indistinct because rain has dissolved them over the years. Marble and limestone are the most abundant rock types in the Trento region, so we can understand why they chose this rock type.
Granite was also the choice of rock for most walls around castles and temples. That makes good sense, since it is an abundant rock type in Japan.
I’ll end with a night shot of Fushimi Inari Shinto Shrine that was established prior to the year 794. We went in the late afternoon–evening to avoid huge crowds.The Fushimi Inari Shrine is famous for its thousands of vermilion (red) torii gates that extend upward along paths on the slope southeast of Kyoto. The shrine is dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. The shrine’s grounds are home to many fox statues, because foxes are thought to be Inari’s messengers. This fox statue (right-side photo) is made of granite—of course! Although the granite does not dissolve, it does collect biological trimmings such as lichen.
Fabulous narrative and photos! It inspired me to visit the places you described.
That’s great! Thanks Carlyle.
Thank you once again for your interesting and informative blogs. I feel as though I have traveled with you.
That is my goal, so thanks for saying so Mary.