Illustrated guidebooks such as "To Meisho Zukai" (Pictures of Famous Places in the City) show that the pond at Ryoan-ji Temple was famous for Mandarin ducks at that time and that the walking path garden around the pond was far better known than the rock garden Ryoan-ji Temple is famous for today.
『都名所図会』のような絵入りの名所案内書（現代の旅行ガイドブックに相当）を見ると、当時、龍安寺の池はオシドリの名所として知られており、今日有名な石庭よりもむしろ、池を中心とした池泉回遊式庭園のほうが著名であったらしい。