while Zen gardens have been a fixture of Japanese aesthetics since the Muromachi Period
(1336–1573), the purposes and meanings of these austere landscapes have been far less
fixed, and indeed have changed somewhat since their first appearance as places for meditation
in the Zen temples of medieval Japan.
For those of us who have been fortunate enough to visit such magnificent sites as Ryōanji or Tenryūji,
the primary function of Zen gardens today seems to be to remind the busloads of tourists who
visit these gardens how remote their hectic modern lives are from the tranquility that is promised—
but not quite delivered—by the Zen temple environs. Unless one has some pull with the monks and
can visit the temple off-hours, to appreciate these gardens in the state of serene reflection that they
are supposed to enhance is more or less impossible. It is the glossy photograph, perhaps—and not
necessarily a color photograph—that best evokes the contemplative quality of the Zen garden.