Item description - YO05010030
Stepping stones, Fumi-ishi (踏み石) in Japanese, have a very intriguing psychological background. Opposite from regular garden paths, walking on stepping stones asks more concentration of the gardens visitor. This influences the way in which they experience the garden and their surroundings in general. Additionally, when walking over stepping stones visitors cannot walk side by side, eliminating a form of distraction. When walking in a tea garden, this also makes sure that people do not arrive at the exact same time at the tea house before the start of the tea ceremony.

Stepping stone paths were introduced by tea master Sen no Rikyū (千利休), a very famous historical figure. The original idea behind the stepping stones was to keep the Zōri, Japanese sandals, clean and dry when walking through the garden. The perfect height of a stepping stone has always been a historical point of discussion. Sen no Rikyū preferred a high of 6 centimeters, while other tea master such as Furuta Oribe and Kobori Enshū preferred 5 centimeters and 3 centimeters respectively.

Garan foundation stones (伽藍礎石) are a very special kind of stepping stone. In ancient times, these stones were used as foundation for massive wooden beams of temples all throughout Japan. Garan foundation stones of demolished temples are very wanted among Japanese gardeners and are often used to connect different stepping stone paths. Reusing materials in the Japanese garden like this is quite common and perfectly fits the philosophical concept of Wabi-Sabi.

Specifications
• Origin: Nagoya, Aichi prefecture
• Material: Hirukawa stone (蛭川石)
• Age: Edo Period

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