Context brings the brightest minds to your living room with perspective-shifting online lectures.

Japanese Zen Rock Gardens: Philosophy, History and Design with Dr. Gavin Campbell
Learn with Dr. Gavin Campbell

Japanese Zen Rock Gardens: Philosophy, History and Design with Dr. Gavin Campbell

No events are scheduled at this time. Want to be notified when it’s back? Click the blue button to the right and we’ll notify you.

Can't make this time? A video recording will be sent to all participants after the seminar.

The great Zen priest and garden designer Musō Soseki (1275-1351) once wrote that “He who distinguishes between the garden and [Zen] practice cannot be said to have found the Way.” This tour opens a path toward a fuller understanding of these enigmatic gardens, their history, design principles, and their most iconic examples, from medieval to contemporary times.
There are probably no more enigmatic gardens in the world than the Japanese Zen rock garden. Called “dry landscape” (karesansui) gardens in Japanese, our first encounters with these fields of stone, raked gravel, and flecks of moss may leave us wondering what they mean, who made them, and why, and how we are supposed to interpret them. Diving deep into examples spanning from the medieval past to the twenty-first century, we gain a richer appreciation of these remarkable works of garden art.
We begin with a close inspection of the earliest masterpieces that set the standard for centuries: Saihōji and Ryōanji. We explore their antecedents in Shinto and Chinese gardens, and Daoism and Zen philosophy, before turning to examine how these two iconic gardens have evolved over time. With these as precedent, we examine several additional iconic rock gardens to see how subtle shifts of design yielded strikingly different results. Finally, we turn towards designers eager to infuse the form with new energy, from the masterpiece Mirei Shigemori (1896-1975) created at Tōfukuji in 1939, to the stunning designs by the contemporary Zen priest and garden designer Shunmyo Masuno (1953-).
Led by an expert on Japanese history, Gavin James Campbell, this interactive seminar will explore the philosophy, history, and design of the Japanese Zen rock garden. Designed to inform curiosity as well as future travels, participants will come away with the tools necessary to more fully enjoy these stirring gardens.
Gavin has another seminar which offers a general Introduction to Japanese Gardens.

Gavin received a Ph.D. in history from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and came to Kyoto in 2001. He is a Ph.D. professor of history at Doshisha University. His teaching and research revolve around Japan's cultural encounters with the West, particularly during the Edo, Meiji, Taisho and early Showa periods (1600-1940), and he has published on the history of foreign tourism and of Protestant missionaries in Japan. To further explore Japan's global cultural encounters, he is currently writing a book on the history of Japanese menswear from the 1600s through the early 20th century. He is also an expert on Kyoto geisha culture and a frequent participant in geisha entertainment.

This conversation is suitable for all ages.

90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.

Customer Reviews

Based on 18 reviews
89%
(16)
11%
(2)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
J
Jim (Falls Church, US)
Excellent as always!

Dr. Campbell's presentation is well-informed and well-organized (not to mention the beautiful pictures that accompany it). While very knowledgeable, he doesn't tell us what these gardens mean. Instead he provides us with information and insights to lead us on the way to our own conclusions. Highly recommended.

A
Alexis Alvarez (North Brunswick, US)
Excellent webinar

Dr. Campbell was very knowledgeable and informative. The seminar was particularly relevant for me, as I'd lived in Japan and have visited many of the gardens he spoke about. And the photos he used were excellent.

C
C.Gates (Abbotsford, CA)
A Pile of Rocks

I finally found answers to some of the questions I had about those piles of rocks! Now I have many more questions. I hope there will more courses by Dr. Campbell regarding the Zen gardens and Japanese art works.

V
Virginia Miller (Chicago, US)
Great introduction to rock gardens

As Dr. Campbell indicates, these Japanese rock gardens can be found throughout the world, so this helpful introduction is useful even for those not planning to travel to Japan. Presentation nicely balanced between religion, philosophy, and aesthetics. The modern examples were striking and unexpected.

J
J (Vancouver, CA)
The wonders of Japanese gardens

An excellent look at some of the special places that are gardens in Kyoto. Great for me as I was there exactly 3 years ago on a "Japanese Gardens" tour with Yoko Kurasawa.

123

Customer Reviews

Based on 18 reviews
89%
(16)
11%
(2)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
J
Jim (Falls Church, US)
Excellent as always!

Dr. Campbell's presentation is well-informed and well-organized (not to mention the beautiful pictures that accompany it). While very knowledgeable, he doesn't tell us what these gardens mean. Instead he provides us with information and insights to lead us on the way to our own conclusions. Highly recommended.

A
Alexis Alvarez (North Brunswick, US)
Excellent webinar

Dr. Campbell was very knowledgeable and informative. The seminar was particularly relevant for me, as I'd lived in Japan and have visited many of the gardens he spoke about. And the photos he used were excellent.

C
C.Gates (Abbotsford, CA)
A Pile of Rocks

I finally found answers to some of the questions I had about those piles of rocks! Now I have many more questions. I hope there will more courses by Dr. Campbell regarding the Zen gardens and Japanese art works.

V
Virginia Miller (Chicago, US)
Great introduction to rock gardens

As Dr. Campbell indicates, these Japanese rock gardens can be found throughout the world, so this helpful introduction is useful even for those not planning to travel to Japan. Presentation nicely balanced between religion, philosophy, and aesthetics. The modern examples were striking and unexpected.

J
J (Vancouver, CA)
The wonders of Japanese gardens

An excellent look at some of the special places that are gardens in Kyoto. Great for me as I was there exactly 3 years ago on a "Japanese Gardens" tour with Yoko Kurasawa.

123