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

The Sakuteiki, or "Records of Garden Making," was written nearly a thousand years ago. It is the oldest existing text on Japanese gardening--or any kind of gardening--in the world.

In this new edition, 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 accompanied by drawings, paintings and many new color photographs.

The new foreword by Japanese garden expert Hugo Torii, the Garden Curator at Portland Japanese Garden, explains the sacred importance of stones in Japanese garden design.

Written by a Japanese court noble during the Heian period (794-1184), the Sakuteiki includes technical advice on gardening--much of it still followed by today's Japanese gardeners--and examines the four central threads of meaning which were central to 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.

Author: Jiro Takei,Marc Peter Keane
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
Published: 05/12/2026
Pages: 272
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 8.10h x 5.20w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9784805319314


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 04/01/2026 pg. 84

About the Author
The late 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 had 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 Gakkei), and chief researcher of the Research Center for Japanese Garden Art (Nihon Teien Kenkyu Senta).

Marc P. Keane is an American landscape architect who has been designing gardens from his studio in Kyoto, Japan for twenty- five years. He is also the author of many books on gardens and nature including Japanese Garden Design (Tuttle). His work can be viewed at www.mpkeane.com

Hugo Torii (foreword writer) is the Garden Curator at Portland Japanese Garden (USA). Prior to this, Torii worked at Peter Berg Landscape Design in Rheinland Pfalz, Germany, and at UeyaKato Landscape Co. Ltd. in Kyoto, Japan as a garden designer and builder. He now oversees a dedicated team of gardeners and is actively involved in training programs as well as garden maintenance and projects, keeping in mind short term needs as well as longer term implications for a garden that receives around 500,000 annual visitors.