Hirukawa Garan, Japanese Foundation Stone

Stepping stones, Tobi-ishi (飛石) in Japanese, are an indispensable element of the traditional Japanese garden. Unlike a garden path, walking on stepping stones requires more concentration. This has a positive influence on how one experiences and absorbs the garden. In addition, stepping stones ensure that people cannot walk side by side, making them less distracted. In a tea garden, this also ensures that not everyone arrives at the teahouse 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 considered to be the founder of the tea ceremony. The original idea behind the use of stepping stones was to keep Zōri, traditional Japanese sandals, clean and dry while walking through the garden.

This unique stepping stone type is known as a Garan foundation stone (伽藍礎石). These stones were formerly used to mount massive wooden pillars of temples. Garan foundation stones from demolished temples are highly sought after by Japanese gardeners and are often used to fill gaps in stone steps. The reuse of materials in the Japanese garden is very common and beautifully aligns with the aesthetic concept of Wabi-Sabi.