Miniature Karesansui, a Japanese Rock Garden

Miniature Karesansui,
a Japanese Rock Garden
By Lisa McDonald
You won’t find f lowers or vegetables growing in this garden! Karesansui, which means “dry
landscape garden,” is a Japanese art form. Rocks are placed in a respectful way to represent
mountains, and sand designs are carefully raked to represent water. These rock gardens were
first mentioned in the Sakuteiki, a Japanese gardening manual written almost a thousand
years ago.
1. Fill a plastic container halfway with sand.
2. Add smooth stones.
3. Use a plastic fork to rake designs in the sand.
4. Put a tight-fitting lid on the container when the rock garden is not in use.
Photo by Hank Schneider.
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