a void space by Lz Yan

A V O I D S P A C E .

I N T E R I O R D E S I G N H I S T O R Y T H E O R Y 3

T H E O R & RESEARC IN DESIG 3 4 7 6 5 5 Z H I Y I D O L I L E

H N 8 N S E

The vacant space of the garden, like silence, absorbs the mind, frees it of petty detail, and serves as a visual guide – a means for penetrating through the “realm of multitudes.” 1

Figure1, the garden of Ryoanji Figure2, map of Ryoanji. Figure3, Ryoanji, plan view.

A void place fulfilled with Zen mind and Japanese culture. The garden built by an unknown Zen-man who left with no description of the design. My essay is an attempt at an explanation from different aspects of Zen aesthetic:

Ryoanji – Dragon Peace Temple During the Heian period (781-1184) in Japan, Zen Buddhism introduced to Japan from China. Zen is the combination of Indian thoughts and Chinese thoughts introduced through Buddhist religious teaching. The word ‘Zen’ has its meaning in meditation, which is an enlightenment daily exercise self-conscious and self-realization. 2 In 1499 during Muromachi period, a rock garden constructed in the temple of the Dragon at Peace, Ryoanji which located in the northwest of Kyoto. The temple was once a mountain villa of Katsumoto received from Lord Tokudaiji before it was transformed into a temple.

kare-sansui - dry landscape The rock garden of Ryoanji is well known as a good example of the art of kare-sansui ‘dry landscape’ influenced by Zen aesthetic. 3 This magnificent Zen garden is a good blend of Zen and Japanese culture. In a courtyard space of merely 248 square meters’ there are fifteen stones of various sizes and shape in the midst of the racked white gravel (figure 3). Stones are arranged in an abstract layout but leave no

Jaworski, A 1995, “The power of silence: Social & pragmatic perspectives”, Canadian Journal of Communication, pp150 Suzuki, Daisetz Teitaro, & Jaffe, Richard M, 2010, Zen and Japanese culture, pp1-19. 3 Van Tonder, G, Lyons, M, & Ejima, Y 2002, “Visual structure of a Japanese Zen garden”, pp359. 2

description. The creator of this rock garden remains a mystery.4 However, there are a few of conjectures of explanation about the garden. Some said the stones spell the character of ‘heart’ 心 in Chinese, some suppose its either mountain peaks above clouds or islands in the sea. Another symbolism way of saying is “tigress leading her cubs crossing the water”.5 Nonetheless, the history of Japanese Zen garden may help to answer the question of how garden was constructed and its quality.

ishi-tate-so – the designer

Figure4, Ishi-tate-so Figure5, the rock has names carved on. Figure6, Ryoanji, isometric view.

Initially, ishi-tate-so 6 is people who work for construction. They did digging, heavy duty and construction work that nobody willing to do. There was a stereotype that they were called religious man due to they work mostly in temple. In Kamakura period (1185-1333) when ishi-tate-so was first defined as ‘rock setting’ and ishi-tate-so meant to set the rocks up. Also, this tell how important rocks as an element in garden. In Muromachi period (1336-1573) ishi-tate-so were frequently required to build garden and then they started to become amateur garden designer when they have gained knowledge and skills to design. People believes that Kotoro and Seijiro (figure 5) are the ishi-tate-so who built the garden of Ryoanji. Their name carved on the back of a rock in the garden.7

ma 間 - place

The layout of garden in Ryoanji is strongly expressing the spatial experience of nothingness or emptiness (figure 6). It contains the complex meaning of ‘ma’, in short is the interval of space and time, which is another design technique to achieve the aesthetic of Zen.8 The term ma 間 4

Colin,K 2007, “Art as Contemplative Place with Reference to Isamu Noguchi’s Sited Works”. Tonder, G, & Lyons, J 2005, “Visual Perception in Japanese Rock Garden Design”, pp353-371 6 Keane, Marc P, Haruzo, O, & Ohashi Haruzo Contributor 2012, Japanese Garden Design, Boston, pp50 7 Ryoanji official website, < http://www.ryoanji.jp/smph/eng/history/index.html>. 8 Loots, C 2010, “The Ma(間) of Hemingway: Intervel, Absence, and Japanese Esthetics in In Out Time”. 5

is the roughly translates as ‘place’ in Japanese.9 Initially, the pictorial character in ‘ma’ is a combination signs of “moon” and “gate”.10 From this ideogram, its depicts a delicate moment of moonlight streaming through an entranceway. The character itself express the components of a sense of place, objectively and subjectively. ku-kan ‘blank place’ (space), originally stood for ‘hole in the ground’.11 There is no independent word in Japanese language that means space. The definition of word space as imported definition from the West is: a measurable three-dimensional objective space. 空間

ji-kan ‘time-place’ In old Japanese explanation is to dissolve or melt.12 So, time literally meaning as ‘space in flow’ in Japanese. These components of words in Japanese express the concept of place has the meaningful relationship between space and time. Time is objectively a dimension of space. The relation of space and time is to imply the connotation of spatial experience is structure of time; experience of time is structure of space. Therefore, our relation to culture intimates the identity of a space because place is the product of lived space and lived time. 時間

ma experience The beauty of ma not just address on the visual of garden, it is also happening in the space with people who engage the space. Any social or physical space that relates to time can cause ma to be.13 For example, the punctuation of motion is Japanese dance, the silent moments in Noh theatre performance or the social distance between host and guests in a tea ceremony. In the physical space of the Zen influenced Ryoanji garden a visitor’s experience when moving through the garden allows an encounter with its the atmosphere to the edge of thinking. The process, a pause of experience with the mind enhance one’s appreciation of the garden.

Zen experience In this Zen Buddhist temple with its environment that expresses spirituality and peace attract visitors to the temple to experience the practice of meditation influenced by Zen philosophy. Meditation has often thought as a line of Zen masters siting in cross-legged positions in a deep rest, but this rarely happens. Meditation is a personal experience that can occur at any time and any place, and that could be a cleansing of a space, the process of cleaning the fallen leaves, sweeping the tatami or smoothing the racked gravel (figure 7).14 The idea is just as simple as paying attention and calmness to achieve something consciously during the process. Indeed, this is also showing cleanliness is elementary to Zen life through daily maintenance. The term

Nitschke, G 1988, “MA, Place, Space and Void”, KYOTO. Nitschke, G 1988, “MA, Place, Space and Void”, KYOTO. 11 Nitschke, G 1988, “MA, Place, Space and Void”, KYOTO. 12 Nitschke, G 1988, “MA, Place, Space and Void”, KYOTO. 13 Loots, C 2010, “The Ma(間) of Hemingway: Intervel, Absence, and Japanese Esthetics in In Out Time” 14 Keane, Marc P, Haruzo, O, & Ohashi Haruzo Contributor 2012, Japanese Garden Design, pp62 10

of ma is expressively illustrated in the Ryoanji garden where it can be an observed and engaged behaviour.

Figure7, a Zen master create pattern on gravel in Ryoanji’s garden. Figure8, an example of Japanese traditional calligraphy,

How to appreciate the aesthetic of the garden in a Zen way? Being consciousness beyond the physical world, enter the meditation by looking. Unknowingly whether the rocks have purpose or that only fourteen of the fifteen rocks can be seen from any angle.15 These details let people focally observe the garden and bring them into the state of meditation unconsciously.

yohaku-no-bi – beauty of extra white The notion of aesthetic in the rock garden is derived from the personal experience. It is the experience of void, of emptiness. The Japanese have an appreciation of the the aesthetic of paucity which is know as yohaku-no-bi 16 , literally means the beauty of extra white. To describe, the white is also representing ‘left out space’ or ‘non form’. It is to achieve the balance between form and space. For instance, in sumie painting (Japanese calligraphy) painters use large unpainted areas in the SinoJapanese art forms (figure 8). 17 Using artistic judgement, the placing form into a space is important, not just mastering the forms but to control the balance within. In the term of ‘design’ in traditional Japanese architecture, means to “create a sense of place”. Architecture Seike Kyoshi states that design not only constructs a structural element in space, arrangement of space also matters.18 The natural rocks aesthetically arranged on a blank surface of white ranked gravel. This blank surface is similar to the expanses of the unpainted areas and the left out space of the white gravel. The garden of Ryoanji strongly express the design principle yohaku-no-bi inspired by Zen thought.

Tonder, G, & Lyons, J 2005, “Visual Perception in Japanese Rock Garden Design”, Axiomathes, 15(3), 353-371. Keane, Marc P, Haruzo, O, & Ohashi Haruzo Contributor 2012, Japanese Garden Design, pp57 17 Nitschke, G 1988, “MA, Place, Space and Void”, KYOTO. 18 Kyoshi, S 1981, “Sumai to ma,” in Nihonjin to ma, Kenmochi Takehiko. 16

Wabi – poverty Wabi is the Zen teaching of being satisfied with a poor living environment in terms of everyday life.19 Wabi has deeply penetrated into Japanese culture. It is a philosophical system of seeing things with transcendental aloofness and appreciating the beauty within.20 Poetically it is like a spirit finding conscious mind in peace in the midst of a rippling ocean. Artistically, it teaches to embrace the four seasons equally, where the natural change of them every year.21 People might be expecting the blossomy spring and warm summer, yet indeed, the beauty of the sadness of autumn and misery of winter are also attractive. Or more, the fact that City man dweller would love to get away from the artificial environment and visit nature once in awhile. Exploring the woods, traveling in the dessert…that is wabi.

Figure9, spring, Ryoanji’s garden, showing contrast of background and interior. Figure10, winter, Ryoanji’s garden.

Weather is welcomed in the rock garden of Ryoanji due to its openness. The view is filtered in different weather but the rocks are standing in the same place since the garden built. Because of all natural effect, it contrasted from the seemingly unchanged rocks. Moreover, the view from the garden shows a separation of simplicity from complexity. (figure 9) Where there are three walls surrounding the garden, the height of these walls is carefully controlled to allow a generous view beyond. Therefore, when facing the garden parallel, the exposing trees beyond the wall create a contrast with the void of rock garden.

Parkes, Graham, "Japanese Aesthetics", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Suzuki, Daisetz Teitaro, & Jaffe, Richard M, 2010, Zen and Japanese culture, pp19-39 21 Suzuki, Daisetz Teitaro, & Jaffe, Richard M, 2010, Zen and Japanese culture, pp19-39 20

Sabi – loneliness Sabi is an aesthetic conception of the ‘imperfect’ perfection accompanied with the beauty of aging. This element of Zen philosophy teaches us to embrace the flow of time and the traces it leaves on the world.22 They raise the value of rusted and rusting objects, the historical elements. The imperfect is impressed as perfect. Sabi also contains the quality of yohaku-no-bi. It described as a pleasure of balance found in the contrast of form and formless. Where people unexpectedly more enjoy the balance of singular simplicity in comparison to a beautiful scene.23

Figure11, garden of Ryoanji, showing the earthen background behind.

After design and construction maintenance is an important step in the Japanese garden.24 This allows the garden to develop over time; to nurture it to catch the rhythm and forms of nature. Years of patiently caring and waiting are the best methods to achieve the beauty of sabi. Many sabi elements can be found in the Ryoanji. The walls present as old, stained with earthy tones instead of being newly painted yet this is the art of Zen maintenance (figure11). Secondly is the moss underneath the groups of rocks. Keeping moss moist is a task of maintenance and they are the only living vegetation in the garden. This element signifies life and its growth shows the traces of time.

Material – rocks, stones In Japanese art and culture has a strong bond with nature. The appreciation of nature is shown in Japanese artworks. The reason is simply because of they wanted to recreate the natural form which is seen as the ‘spirit place’ inhabited by the gods before they became religious.25 Japanese garden is one of the artwork they show their respect and love of nature by mimicking the landscape instead of copying it. Therefore, they choose to materials to represent the elements in an abstract way.

Parkes, Graham, "Japanese Aesthetics", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Suzuki, Daisetz Teitaro, & Jaffe, Richard M, 2010, Zen and Japanese culture, pp19-39 24 Keane, Marc P, Haruzo, O, & Ohashi Haruzo Contributor 2012, Japanese Garden Design, pp128 25 Keane, Marc P, Haruzo, O, & Ohashi Haruzo Contributor 2012, Japanese Garden Design, pp146-148 23

Figure12, garden of Ryoanji, showing the details of rocks and white sand in pattern.

Rocks are used in many types of representation and symbolic form. Japanese used to have perceptions of rocks, and it shifted toward the time. Therefore, garden builder used rocks to represent as an animistic object, religious material, painterly element, and sculpture. 26 In the garden of Ryoanji, as mentioned, it could be an island, peak or tiger. Other than that, rocks represent a mountain which inspired by the word kare-sansui dry landscape which literally means dry mountain water.27 White sand is a local material that easy to collect and frequent used in garden design. It is the significant of purification.28 The bed of white gravel, racked to create rippling wavy surface, represents the ocean or water. Stones are racked smoothly in circular patterns around the areas where rocks and moss stand. Others area are racked in straight lines statically. These racked patterns possibly represent the ocean hitting the shore bed and creating waves.

The void space, garden of Ryoanji contains aesthetic and philosophical concepts. From different field of aspects: architecture, gardening, design, Buddhism, landscape and art, this garden teaches the appreciation of ‘ma’. As the notion of emptiness or the void it delivers the sense of void physically and mentally. The void between rocks create yohaku-no-bi. The void that shows contrast to achieve wabi. The void of time creates history and traces of sabi. A void has its interiority as a space study. It is a formless form that a space can be complete instead of ‘filling’.

Keane, Marc P, Haruzo, O, & Ohashi Haruzo Contributor 2012, Japanese Garden Design, 146-148. Simmons, Ben, Kuma, Kengo, Locher, Mira, Kuma, Kengo, & Simmons, Ben, 2012, “An Exploration of Elements and Forms”, Traditional Japanese Architecture, pp182-186. 28 Keane, Marc P, Haruzo, O, & Ohashi Haruzo Contributor 2012, Japanese Garden Design, 146-148. 27

BIBLI OGRA P H Y

Bucca, M. (2007). The clinical thinking of Bion and the art of the Zen garden Ryoan-ji. The Journal of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychiatry, 35(4), 659-67. Colin,K 2007, Art as Contemplative Place with Reference to Isamu Noguchi’s Sited Works, University of the Arts London, London. Jaworski, A 1995, “The power of silence: Social & pragmatic perspectives”, Canadian Journal of Communication, 20(2), 278-280. Keane, Marc P, Haruzo, O, & Ohashi Haruzo Contributor 2012, Japanese Garden Design, Boston, Tuttle Publishing. Kyoshi, S 1981, “Sumai to ma,” in Nihonjin to ma, Kenmochi Takehiko, (ed.), Kodansha, Tokyo. Kuck, L. (1968). The world of the Japanese garden : From Chinese origins to modern landscape art (1st ed.). ed.). New York: Walker/Weatherhill. Loots, C 2010, “The Ma(間) of Hemingway: Intervel, Absence, and Japanese Esthetics in In Out Time”, Project MUSE, vol.29, The Johns Hopkins UniversityPress, Maryland. Nitschke, G 1988, “MA, Place, Space and Void”, KYOTO, published 10 September 1988, < http://www.kyotojournal.org/backissues/kj-08/>. Parkes, Graham, "Japanese Aesthetics", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2017 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2017/entries/j apanese-aesthetics/>. Roger, H 2002, "Scientists Dig Deep into Secrets of Famous Japanese Zen Garden." Edmonton Journal (Edmonton, Alta.), September 28, 2002. Simmons, Ben, Kuma, Kengo, Locher, Mira, Kuma, Kengo, & Simmons, Ben, 2012, “An Exploration of Elements and Forms”, Traditional Japanese Architecture, Kanagawa, Tuttle Publishing. Suzuki, Daisetz Teitaro, & Jaffe, Richard M, 2010, Zen and Japanese culture, First Princeton classic (ed.), Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. Tonder, G, & Lyons, J 2005, “Visual Perception in Japanese Rock Garden Design”, Axiomathes, 15(3), 353-371. Van Tonder, G, Lyons, M, & Ejima, Y 2002, “Visual structure of a Japanese Zen garden”, Nature, 419(6905), 359-60.

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