苔寺 Kokedera

A VS Code theme born from moss and silence.

古池や　蛙飛び込む　水の音

The old pond — a frog jumps in, the sound of water. — Matsuo Bashō

The Garden

Kokedera (苔寺, Temple of Moss) is a dark theme for Visual Studio Code, inspired by Saihō-ji — the ancient moss temple garden in Kyoto, where over 120 varieties of moss blanket the earth beneath towering cedars and maples.

When you code with Kokedera, you sit in that garden:

• The editor background is the deep shade beneath ancient trees
• Keywords glow like sunlight catching the brightest moss
• Strings carry the warm amber of shōji lanterns at dusk
• Comments are weathered stone inscriptions, softened by time
• Types stand tall like the dark green cedars
• Functions sway like fresh bamboo in a gentle breeze
• Errors appear as a distant torii gate — present, but not alarming
• Your cursor is a firefly, drifting through the garden at nightfall

Installation

From VS Code Marketplace (recommended)

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
3. Search for "Kokedera"
4. Click Install
5. Open command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)
6. Search for "Preferences: Color Theme"
7. Select Kokedera

Palette

Role	Color	Hex
Editor Background		#121a11
Surface		#151e14
Moss Panel		#1a2619
Selection		#2a3d26
Stone Border		#3a4a35
Text		#c8d8b8
Keywords		#4ca64c
Strings		#d4c88e
Functions		#8fbf6f
Types		#3d9970
Variables		#a3be8c
Numbers		#c49a5c
Comments		#5a6b50
Cursor		#5ae65a
Error		#c45a5a
Warning		#bfa243

Philosophy

侘寂 — Wabi-sabi: beauty in imperfection, transience, and incompleteness.

This theme does not shout. It does not demand attention. It creates a quiet space where code can breathe.

Every color earns its place — no tone overpowers another. Like the garden itself, the palette grows from a single source: the endless, patient green of moss.

Step softly. The moss remembers.

License

MIT

kokedera.style