It was traditionally used as part of a design technique for a garden; some gardens of a mansion palace were partly dry landscaped, some excursion style gardens with an actual pond of a feudal lord's (daimyo) mansion, also included a dry landscape.
従来の庭園でも技法として庭園の一部に用いられ、寝殿造庭園でも枯山水の部分を含み大名屋敷に造られていく回遊式庭園も枯山水を含んでいることがあった。