Excerpt from Suiseki: The Japanese
Art of Miniature Stone Appreciation
By Felix G. Rivera
Suiseki: The Japanese Art of Miniature Landscape
Stones (Stone Bridge), ISBN 1-880656-27-2, $29.95,
soft cover, 192 pages, by Felix G. Rivera
 rails
lead hikers into mountain ranges covered with snow,
frozen waterfalls, and summits sliced by frigid winds.
Avalanches threaten at every turn. Other trails lead to
flower-laden plains, bucolic lakes, and grassy hills.
Hikers do not have far to go to see these views, for they
are embodied within stones 12 inches (30 cm) wide sitting
on a bookshelf or desk. This embodiment of nature is the
essence and pleasure of suiseki. Norio Kobayashi
wrote in Bonsai: Miniature Potted Trees that suiseki:
are more suggestive than realistic; productive of
aesthetic sentiments in fancy and imagination.
Appreciation of landscape stones should transcend theory.
This may sound somewhat esoteric, but there is poetry in
a true appreciation of landscape stones.
Suiseki are usually dark in color with an elegant patina
symbolizing the timelessness of the art. They may not be
altered other than to have their bottoms cut and leveled,
if needed, to allow for easy placement within a wooden base.
Their pristine conditions, universal appeal, and
suggestiveness contribute to the appreciation of suiseki as
works of art. Their beauty and evocative powers enable the
stones to stimulate memories of past events and places, to
create emotional connections, and to serve as a medium for
meditation and relaxation. For some collectors, the quest
for suiseki is akin to a spiritual or mystical experience.
Suiseki may be found in rivers, creeks, deserts, mountains,
and almost anywhere else that stones and minerals have been
influenced by natural erosion. Finding quality material is
not easy, yet much of the pleasure of collecting lies in
the search itself. Fresh air, sun, companionship, and the
excitement of the discovery are experiences guaranteed to
leave a lasting memory.
Suiseki's popularity has increased significantly in the
past ten years in the United States, Europe, and to a
lesser extent, Latin America. Gem and mineral societies
have helped popularize suiseki by exhibiting imported
and domestic specimens. When I exhibited a quartet of
suiseki at a state exhibition sponsored by the Castro
Valley Gem and Mineral Society show, rockhounds not
only marveled at the beauty of the minerals but were also
impressed by their unique shapes. I received more requests
than I could possibly honor to exhibit my suiseki
throughout the state.
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