Sakuteiki: Visions of the Japanese Garden: A Modern Translation of Japan's Gardening Classic

by Jiro Takei, Marc P. Keane

Overview

Learn the art of Japanese gardening with this classic, fascinating text.

The Sakuteiki, or "Records of Garden Making," was written nearly one thousand years ago. It is the oldest existing text on Japanese gardening—or any kind of gardening—in the world. In this edition of the Sakuteiki, the authors provide an English-language translation of this classic work and an introduction to the cultural and historical context that led to the development of Japanese gardening. Central to this explanation is an understanding of the sacred importance of stones in Japanese culture and Japanese garden design.

Written by a Japanese court noble during the Heian period (794-1184), the Sakuteiki includes both technical advice on gardening—much of which is still followed in today's Japanese gardens—and an examination of the four central threads of allegorical meaning, which were integral features of Heian-era garden design. For those seeking inspiration to build a rock garden or just better understand the Japanese stone garden, the Sakuteiki is an enduring classic.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780804839686
Publisher:	Tuttle Publishing
Publication date:	10/15/2008
Series:	Tuttle Classics
Edition description:	2nd Edition
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	847,616
Product dimensions:	5.12(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Jiro Takei, professor emeritus of the Kyoto College of Art, taught a course on the Sakuteiki for many years. Throughout his long and distinguished career, he has been deeply involved in the study of Japanese gardens, as the Chairman of the Japanese Garden Academic Society (Nihon Teien Gakkai), regional chief of the Gardening Academic Society (Zoen Gakkai), and chief researcher of the Research Center for Japanese Garden Art (Nihon Teien Kenkyu Senta).

Marc P. Keane, a licensed landscape architect, and garden designer, came to Japan in 1985, and since then has been creating and building gardens for companies, temples, and private individuals. He teaches a design workshop as an adjunct professor at the Kyoto University of Art and Design and is a staff member of the Research Center for Japanese Garden Art there. He is also the Chairman of ISSK, International Society to Save Kyoto, a multi-national society working to preserve Kyoto's natural environment. He has traveled and lectured widely on traditional and classical approaches to Japanese garden design and landscaping. He lives in Kyoto where he owns a landscape architectural firm.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	xi
	Visions of the Garden	1
	Life in the Heian Period	3
	Nature	41
	Geomancy	61
	Buddhism	89
	Taboos	113
	Color Plates	129
	Sakuteiki	149
	Translation and Annotation Translators' Notes	150
I.	The Basics	153
II.	Southern Courts	154
III.	Ponds and Islands	157
IV.	Stones	161
V.	Gardening Styles	162
VI.	Islands	167
VII.	Waterfalls	169
VIII.	Garden Streams	175
IX.	Setting Stones	183
X.	Taboos	188
XI.	Miscellany	192
XII.	Trees	196
XIII.	Wellsprings	201
XIV.	More Miscellany	203
	Appendices	207
	Glossary	208
	Personae	228
	Measurements	231
	Heian Plants	232
	Bibliography	236
	Index	240