2. Japanese Rock (Karesansui)Gardens Karensansui means dry-mountain-and-water gardens Japanese Rock gardens were first brought to the island from Chinese and Korean immigrants During the Heian period (794-1185 AD) this practice became unique to the Japanese people and perfected by Buddhist monks trying to achieve Zen. The idea of Zen is- A school of Mahayana Buddhism that asserts that enlightenment can be attained through meditation, self-contemplation, and intuition rather than through faith and devotion and that is practiced mainly in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Also called Zen Buddhism.(http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Zen)