Suiseki is an art form in it's own right, with clubs and national associations devoted to its study.
The appreciation of Suiseki is I must confess a far more complex art form than the apprieciation of bonsai, but the more I find out about it and the more good examples I see, the more I like it.
Suiseki are always displayed on a stand, or tray, which may be a shallow bonsai tray filled with sand.
Suiseki are classified into types, with over forty listed in detail. A few of the more common types are shown below.
Toyama. Rocks with the form of a distant mountain.
Dan-ishi . Rocks with a steplike rise of slope towards a cliff.
Doha. Rocks representing rolling hills. Shown in a bonsai dish, filled with sand.
Taki-ishi. Rocks showing the beauty of a narrow, deep gorge, with a waterfall running down it.
Mizutamari. Rocks with the scenic beauty of a pond or lake. When displayed the hollow is filled with water, often with a drop of milk added to make it obvious.
Shima-gata. Island shaped rocks.
Ama-yadori. The shelter rock, a rock having an overhang, providing shelter.
Kuzuya. Rocks representing on old thatched house.
| The stone to the right depicts a snow covered mountain. The daiza was carved from mahogany. |
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| This suiseki is part of a larger stone. Cutting stones, while not ideal, is acceptable. The daiza was carved from mahogany. The stone is meant to represent a waterfall, but some friends tell me they think it looks like a guinea pig (cavey). |
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| I acquired this stone from an aquarist supplier, who told me it was referred to as a 'Tiger's eye'. Its form represents a series if plateau climbing into the distance. |
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© Allen. C. Roffey 23:44 14/04/2005
