S01E08 - Zen Gardens of Kyoto: Shifting Aesthetics in 15th Century Japan

Leírás

In the late 15th century, Kyoto, Japan, transitioned from lavish Zen aesthetic parties to a more reflective, austere mood. Zen temples developed dry landscape gardens (kare sansui) primarily for meditation. Daisen-in's sand and stone garden is an example, symbolizing mountains, waterfalls, and rivers in a monochromatic setting. Stones with natural, monumental qualities were highly prized. Ryoan-ji, contemporaneous with Daisen-in, is an abstract, sand-based garden distilling the essence of the universe. Its arrangement of stones in a rippled sand expanse evokes motion and infinity. These gardens embody Zen ideals of simplicity, starkness, austerity, and nonattachment. Zen gardeners used artistic techniques like objets trouves and abstract expressionism, pioneering modern art movements. Ryoan-ji, particularly, represents a statement of mystical truth in physical form, evoking a sense of spiritual oneness and detachment.