Crane and tortoise islands are especially favorable because in Chinese mythology the crane lives a thousand years and the tortoise ten thousand. Such islands are inaccessible to human beings and no bridges are constructed to them. Groups of stones representing a rocky seashore may be arranged by the edge of a pool. Among the most orthodox styles of stone arrangement is sanson. It consists of three upright stones, the largest in the center representing the Buddha, the others two Bodhisattvas.
Plants are closely interwoven with the physical and spiritual life of the Japanese people.
Pines are major structural elements in their gardens. Being evergreen, pines express both long life and happiness. Japanese red and black pines symbolize in and yo, the soft, tranquil female forces and the firm, active male forces in the universe. The complex aesthetic values of traditional Japanese gardens stem mainly from Zen Buddhism. The teahouse became a major element in Japanese gardens in the 16th century, when the tea ceremony became another way of Zen.