Hōraku-en

In March 2005, Hōraku-en (dry garden style) was created in a 600 meter section of the Hōsen-in. The Hōraku-en is a manifestation of the ancient story describing the origin of the Earth. We skillfully recreated the world of the Gods through the use of Iwagumi , or stone garden. Using nenjuseki (a type of stone found in the ocean), we created the Buddhist Trinity (Amida, flanked by two Bodhisattvas) in the raigō form (the form the Buddhas take when they lead a soul to Heaven), and a turtle shaped stone. From silver rocks we embellished the rock garden with Mt. Hōrai (the mythical mountain of the immortals), a sea horse, the boat of the 7 lucky gods, stone bridge and other elements of the world of the Buddha.

We spread white gravel taken from the bottom of a river to create the image of a flowing ocean. While the highlight of the garden is the beautiful trees we've planted that bloom with hundreds of flowers to celebrate the turning of the four seasons. Various types of cherry and peach blossoms, in addition to the changing colors of the maple leaves, enhance the natural beauty of the garden.