Viewing Stones are unique natural stones, picked from among the many for their ability to attract our attention and capture our imagination. They are presented for display in a special way - usually on a wooden base or in a ceramic tray. This art form began many centuries ago in China, spread to Japan and Korea, and is recently gaining popularity world-wide. Shape, texture, color, and general appeal are the deciding factors when choosing stones. Sizes may range from less than an inch up to very large. There are several types of stone art associated with Viewing Stones. Each one is as complex and rich as the cultures who originated them. More detailed information on each form is available from many sources, but here are some simple, brief descriptions:

Penjing pen - pot or container, and jing – scenery, is the Chinese art of creating a miniature scene from nature in a container or on a stone slab using trees and other plants, stones, soil and sand. The various forms of Penjing are related to the Japanese art forms of bonsai (pronounced bone-sigh), saikei, and suiseki.

Scholar's Rocks from China are classified by the place of their origin. Such rocks are either from that specific area or are "similar" to rocks found in that area.

Suseok is the Korean art of natural stone displays. The stones are displayed in a suiban (ceramic container) or daezwa or zwadae (carved wood display stands). Korean wood stands are usually thinner and have flowing lines merging into the feet of the stand. They may be very deep to accommodate uneven bottoms of stones.

Saikei is associated with bonsai, but is more a landscape creation that can include natural stones. It may use several trees, or multiple species and other plants, grass or small flowering plants like alpines. It may include figures of people, bridges, temples, etc.

Suiseki (pronounced su-ee-SEK-ee) sui - water, seki - stone, is the Japanese art of displaying natural stones, usually in a suiban (ceramic container), doban (bronze container) or on a stand made of ‘noble wood’. They can be classified by one or a combination of the following: shape, texture, color, surface patterns, or place of origin. These are three of the more basic categories of Suiseki:

• Scenic Landscape Stones - mountains, islands, waterfalls, caves, lakes and other natural topography.

• Object Stones - can look man-made such as boats, bridges, or thatched huts; or resemble natural shapes like animals, birds, fish, and human figures.

• Pattern Stones - uniquely colored surface patterns, unusual textures, or mineral inclusions. Tiger-striped stones, celestial (sun/moon/star) patterns, or abstract patterns.

Each category contains many classifications and sub-classifications. These are just a few of the more common ones:

• Yamagata-ishi - Mountain stones may suggest a single peak, multiple peaks, or an entire range.
• Shimagata-ishi - Island stones resemble an island rising out of the sea and are usually placed in a suiban or water filled dish to enhance the island image.
• Taki-ishi - Waterfall stones resemble a mountain with one or more streaks or veins of white mineral starting near the top of the stone and coming down the front, (but not the back) for the waterfalls.
• Keiryu-seki - Mountain stream stones appear to have a stream (usually a white mineral vein) running through a gorge or valley.
• Mizutamari-ishi - Water pool stones with depressions where water can collect, even better if surrounded by mountain shapes.
• Tamari-ishi - Basin stones similar to water pools, but with deeper depressions to suggest a deep lake.
• Dan-seki - Plateau or Step stones, two or more (more is better) flat parallel levels; the top is counted as one level.
• Doha-seki - These stones suggest the low rolling hills of a plain or a slope gently rising toward a hill. Or a level plain parallel to the base leads to a peak at one end.
• Isogata-ishi - Shore stones can be rough and craggy resembling eroded sections of sea cliffs or they can be smooth stones suggesting a sandbar or quiet beach.
• Iwagata-ishi - Coastal rock stones may be a high wind-swept rocky coastline, a tall roughly shaped offshore rock, or a steep cliff at the end of a peninsula. Stones with white mineral deposits at their base suggest waves breaking against the cliffs.
• Dokutsu-ishi - Cave stones have hollows and cavities that resemble caves, caverns, or grottos. The best cave is a deep cavity or one that slants sharply to the left or the right, so the end cannot be seen.
• Yadori-ishi - Shelter stones have a concave shape suggesting a shallow shelter or refuge formed by an overhanging cliff and show at least part of the shelter floor.
• Domon-ishi - Tunnel stones have one or more holes that pass through the stone making a tunnel or an arch.
• Kuzuya-ishi - Hut stones resemble a thatched house or hut with a narrow base and a wider, rounded top.
• Funagata-ishi - Boat shaped stones can resemble many different types of boats like a wooden sailing ship or rowboat.
• Hashi-ishi - Bridge-shaped stones resemble a stone or wooden bridge.
• Tori-ishi - Tiger stripe pattern stones have alternating stripes of color, suggesting the stripes of a tiger.
• Raiko-seki - Lightening pattern stones are usually dark stones with white mineral deposits that resemble lightning bolts striking across the night sky.

A few more basic terms:

• Biseki - beautiful stone - are stones that have been polished to enhance their natural beauty or color, or carved to bring out a particular feature, such as an embedded flower pattern. These are not considered suiseki, but because of their beauty, they are displayed in the same way.

• Dai - stand, rack or rest
• Daiza - a wooden form fitting stand or base
• Doban - shallow metal, usually bronze, tray that has no holes in the bottom
• Ishi or Seki - stone
• Jiban - a thin flat board used to display a suiseki
• Kaseki - petrified wood or fossil stone
• Patina - the sheen or luster that developes over the surface of a stone
• San - mountain
• Shun - creases, wrinkles, or furrows on a suiseki
• Suiban - shallow ceramic tray with no holes in the bottom

Through ages of erosion, a stone is sculptured into a unique masterpiece; collected it becomes a timeless treasure. A Viewing Stone can remind us of surging waves crashing against costal rocks or the quiet of a summer afternoon in a mountain forest. As we gaze upon it, we are reminded once again of awesome wonder of nature.