Shikoku Kutsunugi-ishi, Japanese Stepping Stone

Stairstones, Tobi-ishi (飛石) in Japanese, are an indispensable element of traditional Japanese gardens. Unlike a garden path, walking on stairstones requires more concentration. This has a positive effect on how people experience and perceive the garden. Furthermore, stairstones prevent people from walking next to each other, which reduces distraction. In a tea garden, this also ensures that not everyone arrives at the tea house at the same time for the start of the tea ceremony.

The stepping stone path was introduced by Sen no Rikyū, a very famous historical figure who is considered the founder of the tea ceremony. The original idea behind using stepping stones was to keep the Zōri, traditional Japanese slippers, clean and dry while walking through the garden.

Kutsunugi-ishi (沓脱石) are wide Japanese stepping stones that serve as a stepping stone from the garden to a veranda. In ancient Japan, Kutsunugi-ishi were often used in teahouses to allow people to enter the tea house from the garden. In Japanese buildings, especially traditional houses, it is customary to take off your shoes before a person enters the premises. This can be done on the Kutsunugi-ishi, which in Japanese means: The stone on which shoes are taken off.

Shikoku stones, also known as Iyo stones, are extremely valuable and have a distinctive character. The stone type is considered a national heritage by the Japanese government, which makes exporting them very difficult. Thanks to the strong bond with our Japanese partners, we are able to offer these unique green-blue stones in our collection. Stones like these can only be found in Japan.