Schriftzeichen The concept behind the rock garden

The concept behind the rock garden

Garden of blue ocean waves

The Japanese rock garden Seigaiha Teien (Japanese for 'garden of the blue ocean waves') is designed according to the Karesansui style and is the 'flagship' of East Asian studies. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the discipline of Japanese studies at the University of Vienna, the garden was initiated by the head of the Institute, Sepp Linhart, conceptualised and funded by Eishin Harada from Tokyo and created by Hiraaki Kishimoto from Osaka. It alludes to human existence in several ways and shows the calmly floating ship of Japan in the ocean. The arrangement of the rocks reflects the course of the water. The waterfall rocks in the background represent the mountains from which spring water originates before rising in the rivers and flowing into the ocean. The characters raku (happiness), kū (emptiness) and yume (dream) represent the three states of the human self in Japanese Zen Buddhism. The stone water basin in the foreground serves as a symbol for the mental and physical cleansing of the observer.

All materials were imported from Japan (white gravel from the surf of the Shirakawa river bed in Kyoto, flat wave stones from Shikoku island, three Mikage stone balls from Kobe and waterfall rocks from Mount Ikoma).

As any other garden, also the Japanese rock garden must be regularly maintained since the materials (bamboo fence, gravel) are becoming brittle or scarce over time. In 2009, the garden was renovated on the occasion of the anniversary of 140 years of diplomatic relations between Austria and Japan. In 2022, the garden was renovated again by replacing the bamboo fence and lining of additional decorative gravel.