Lit.
outer garden. The area outside the sacred enclosure of a shrine, mausoleum,
or temple. Typically, the approach to the inner shrine is through the gaien
which serves as a transitional space between secular and sacred realms.
Although often planted with trees to create a sacred forest reminiscent
of a grove deep in the mountains, in recent years the gaien of large
urban shrines have been developed into parks. Meiji Jinguu 明治神宮 in Tokyo
is a good example. |