Ryoan-ji Temple has on of the most famous Zen gardens in the Karesansui (dry landscape) style, a collection of 15 rocks in a sea of raked sand, enclosed by an earthen wall. It is one of the most heavily visited sites in Kyoto have relegated it to a place that "tourists" go to.

The roots of the art of Japanese garden date back to antiquity. Initially, Japanese gardening was under the fundamental influence of Chinese and Korean immigrants. It was not until the Heian period (794-1185 AD) that it became exclusively a Japanese affair, being still a hobby rather than profession or even art. Later on, the monks of Buddhist temples came to assert themselves as garden designers and it was Buddhism, namely its contemplative form "Zen" that created the original, truly Japanese form of gardens known as karesansui – dry or rock garden.

The garden itself is a series of boulders, all together 15 "floating" in a sea of raked gravel. Accordingly, it’s only 14 can be seen, and when one has attained enlightenment, the 15th will become visible.

Many explanations are given for the rock arrangement and minimal decoration. Probably all that can be said that it is highly influence by the ideals of the tea ceremony, in which wabi – honesty, rusticity and understatement are held esteem. The idea of wabi resonated well with the Zen of Buddhism, which incorporated tea Architecture into the temple design, leading to gardens like Ryoan-ji. Wabi is also a powerful design technique that combines simplicity and understatement to allow the viewers’ imagination to "fill in the blanks".

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