gravel

Gravel in Japanese gardens represents water, such as the sea or a river. In addition, to abstractly express the roughness of waves or the flow of a river, gravel is streaked with a broom. This is called a sand pattern. At Raku-teiwa, the grain size of natural stone gravel is standardized to approximately 3 mm so that visitors can enjoy drawing sand patterns. Three types of gravel are available. White gravel, which is inspired by pure white sand. Red coral gravel, which is an image of red color to ward off evil and bring good luck. Kinka gravel, which is inspired by the brown color of natural rivers and oceans with a golden hue. Sand painting is said to be a part of monks’ ascetic practices. Sand motifs can express the owner’s feelings as they are, such as a calm calm or a series of mystical rings. Sand motifs have the effect of calming and purifying the mind, and at the same time, they can be utilized and enjoyed in addition to viewing the rakutei.