Beauty Between the Moon and Water - Poetry of Katsura Imperial Villa
Beauty Between the Moon and Water - Poetry of Katsura Imperial Villa
On the banks of the Katsura River in Kyoto.
Where the wind caresses the bamboo and the moon is reflected in the pond, a quiet miracle lives.
It is the Katsura Imperial Villa. It was a natural villa built by Prince Hachijo Toshihito in the early Edo period.
This space can be said to be the pinnacle of Japanese architecture and garden beauty.
Quiet beauty blooming in the margins of history
Katsura Imperial Villa dates back to around 1615.
Prince Tomohito was adopted by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, but was at the mercy of the times and was forced to live in the tropical Katsura region.
I gazed into the garden of my heart.
is not a symbol of strength, but a place of elegance and introspection .
A silent dialogue between architecture and gardens
The group of buildings incorporates the sukiya style into the Shoin style.
When the shoji screens are removed, the space becomes one with the garden and begins to breathe.
The checkered sliding doors of the teahouse Shokintei, the quiet atmosphere of the Gekkanbaro,
Each one is filled with a different poetic sentiment, gently stirring the hearts of visitors.
Islands floating in the pond, moss-covered paving stones, and a moon-viewing platform.
They are not only beautiful,
The Japanese spirit of "loving the moon"
It is something that is manifested as space.
What Katsura Imperial Villa tells us: Beauty is white space
just
Between the wind, water and light,
It asks questions such as "What is beauty?" and "What is life?"
German architect Bruno Taut
He praised this place as "beautiful enough to bring tears to your eyes."
It is not a matter of decoration, but rather a beauty that resides in a stripped-down silence.