Tomeishi: The Stopping Stone

Text by Jessa Gardner, Video by Pete Putnicki and Yukari Yamano

No, “stopping stone” isn't a typo! A tomeishi, which translates literally into "stop stone", is a subtle guide used to keep visitors on the correct path. This unique feature of Japanese tea gardens is temporarily in use in our garden to help guide visitors through our one-way paths. Seattle Japanese garden staff members Pete Putnicki and Yukari Yamani teamed up to show you how these special stones are made in the following video:

Tomeishi, also known as sekimori ishi “boundary-guard stone”, are made from medium size rocks, wrapped in a special manner that you can see demonstrated in Pete and Yukari's video. These rocks are used to gently signify that a particular path of entryway within a garden is closed. They are used most commonly within tea gardens, so that the host can politely and subtly guide guests down the appropriate path when they come to attend a tea ceremony. That way guests will be able to enjoy the seasonal highlights that the host wants them to see, and.they won't accidentally arrive before the host is ready to greet them.

Tomeishi are associated with the tea master Sen no Rikyu, through a legend recorded in the tea tome Nanporoku. Nowadays most people only see tomeishi in the gardens of Kyoto. However right now you can find several within the Seattle Japanese Garden! We have placed tomeishi along several closed pathways to guide visitors along our temporary one-way route through the garden. We hope you keep an eye out for tomeishi during your next visit to the Garden.