MONAS | Tone 1 | Phrase 8: The Three-Value Logic of the Donketsu Stones

‘Star-Crossed Souls’ [Tone 1. Shiga: The Sea of Niho] 〜 This muddy vesture of decay 〜

“Kai-san. You mentioned before that Kyoto’s gardens are ‘vertical’ gardens, frequently employing tate-ishi (standing stones) to represent the state of enlightenment born from Zen Buddhism. In contrast, you said the gardens of Ōmi are ‘horizontal’, prioritising practical utility.”

“Yeah.”

The two continued their stroll through the expansive garden.

“Coming here and actually walking it, I finally understand what you meant,” Kaho said. “Kyoto’s gardens mirror the ‘idealised realm of the other shore’ (higan). Ōmi’s gardens, on the other hand, are designed to bring order to ‘this shore of daily reality’ (shigan). Though their concepts are entirely different, even on this seemingly flat ground, highlights are scattered everywhere. Perhaps this isn’t a garden meant to be merely ‘gazed upon’, but a garden ‘completed only by the act of walking’.”

“‘Completed by walking’, eh? I like that,” Kai replied. “It’s experiential, rather than just for spectators. And as I said earlier, the placement of the trees and stones is deliberately engineered to guide the viewer’s gaze.”

“Exactly. Precisely because there is nothing else, you feel a profound meaning in a single stone. It doesn’t feel as though it was merely placed there; it feels as though it is ‘growing’ from the earth. As if it has been there since the very dawn of time.”

Donketsu had deliberately positioned his umeishi (embedded stones) upon the low tsukiyama hills. Over the vast passage of time, they had become blanketed in moss, nearly swallowed by the miniature hills.

“That’s the ultimate realm a craftsman strives to reach,” Kai said, his voice dropping to a low, quiet register. “To make it look entirely natural, as if it had been there from the very beginning. Artless artifice. Anyone can throw in flashy displays or try to grab attention—that’s ‘additive’ architecture. But... the hardest part of all is ‘subtraction.’ It is only when you subtract that the core theme truly stands out. And if that theme lacks its own innate charm, it can never carry the leading role. An actor who can command the stage entirely on their own is hailed as a master of their craft, isn’t that so? In Shakespearean terms, that would be King Lear.”

“King Lear...” Kaho repeated softly.

“Stripped of his royal power, his splendid robes, and his retinue, King Lear only realises the truth of humanity when he is left utterly exposed in the storm-swept wilderness. He casts off both his crown and his clothes, calling man ‘a poor, bare, forked animal.’ This is the very essence of human beings, stripped of their physical flesh and worldly vanities while imprisoned within this ‘muddy vesture.’ Only when everything has been subtracted do his naked solitude and the brilliance of his soul stand out. Because the actor’s entire life is laid bare on that stage, it is considered one of the most gruelling roles, and those who can truly master it are few and far between. It is the pinnacle of achievement that every actor yearns to reach.”

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