FUZEI

In the Sakuteiki, the gardening treaty elaborated by an anonymous author in Japan in the s. XII, it is stated that “the stones must be erected following the manner of building which the skilled men of ancient times left behind, having in mind the intention of the lord of the house and wrapping everything with his own fuzei.” This concept, which is considered one of the main keys of the later Zen gardens, could literally be translated as “the breath of emotion”. I am based in South Korea and I has visited some of the most remote Zen temples of Kyoto and Kamakura throughout 2016 and early 2017, several of which remain closed for meditation most of the year trying to capture the invisible breath that continues to blow in those landscapes built for the inner gaze.