Author(s): Kiyoshi Seike et al.

Guides/How To

"A Japanese Touch for Your Garden" is a concise introduction to the practical aspects of making a Japanese garden. Whether a sprawling garden, office courtyard or a city patio, this book includes hundreds of creative but classic ways to make maximum use of the space. Readers will learn how to lay stones and pathways; how to create intriguing sand patterns like the ones in Zen temple gardens; and, they will learn about Japanese lanterns, miniature pagodas, water basins, gates and walls, and will be shown step by step how to make a bamboo lattice fence.Notes on the care of bamboo, moss and grass are provided, as are names of western plants and trees that can be substituted for conventional Japanese varieties. Schematic layout plans, detailed how-to explanations, and over 150 colour photographs of Japanese gardens old and new give ideas for endless variations. Thoroughly up-to-date in its approach and based on the principle that a garden must satisfy the gardener, not a set of inflexible guidelines, this book encourages the reader to choose freely from the wide range of traditional Japanese design elements that suit individual needs and tastes.Whether living in the country, city, or somewhere in between, the reader will discover numerous ways to transform any space into an intimate, tranquil oasis, one that will reward the planning and work with a rich and ever-changing beauty.
This is a revised & expanded edition of the bestselling title on Japanese gardens from Kodansha International - over 130,000 copies sold! It features 150 all-new photographs from the lens of noted photographer, Sadao Hibi. The book explains and illustrates the fundamental principles of the 1,000-year-old landscape design tradition in the Japanese garden, and all the basic components: stepping & paving stones, stone lanterns, signs, statues, streams, waterfalls & ponds, bamboo fences, gates and walls.