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)
- Open VS Code
- Go to Extensions (
Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
- Search for "Kokedera"
- Click Install
- Open command palette (
Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)
- Search for "Preferences: Color Theme"
- 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