You can get a metal rake at most gardening stores.
It’s important to have a pattern in mind before you start raking. That way, you can plan ahead about which part of the garden to rake first, so that you don’t end up stepping on your design and messing it up with footprints. [3] X Research source The water drop wave pattern is one of the most common methods. It’s called maru-uzu-mon in Japanese. It features straight lines across the whole garden, broken up by circles tracing around the large stones. The circles create the illusion of ripples in water. [4] X Research source
The wide-toothed wooden rake is different from most gardening rakes. Its teeth are large and set far apart so that they can trace deep grooves into the sand or gravel. You can get a wooden rake specifically for Japanese gardening at many garden stores or online. Make sure not to step on your lines! If you do, go over them again with the wooden rake.
Hop up onto the edge of the garden whenever you can to avoid stepping on your lines. [7] X Research source
Don’t worry if the pattern doesn’t look perfect! After a lot of practice, the raking will get easier.
You can then make the ripple pattern around your raised mounds to accentuate them.
A straight line pattern can evoke a frozen winter landscape. Curvy lines can bring to mind rushing water in spring or summer. Trace the shape of a fallen leaf in a meandering stream pattern to create an autumn scene.
