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Home/Garden

The Japanese garden as an art form began during the Heian period (794), and continues today. This shelf offers guides to famous Japanese gardens, how-to gardening books, books about the elements of Japanese landscaping (bamboo, traditional tools), and other home-related hands-on guides (installing shogi screens, carpentry, etc.).


A Guide to the Gardens of Kyoto by Marc Treib Paperback
224 pages
A concise guide with practical information and theoretical insights into the design of the Japanese garden. Individual entries for more than fifty temple and palace gardens.

American Bamboos by Emmet J. Judziewicz Hardcover
400 pages

Ancient Stones and Dragon Bones; A Japanese Garden Journey by Judith D. Klingsick Paperback
40 pages

The Art of Japanese Gardens: Designing & Making Your on Peaceful Space by Herb L. Gustafson Paperback
144 pages
Photographs of tranquil bridges, bright spidery Japanese maple leaves, and shimmering ponds are accompanied by unpretentious philosophical asides like "Our gardens can become a profound representation of the universe as a whole," and "We must pause to reflect on our journey thus far." Gustafson is not a stickler for historical detail: his notion of a "Japanese" garden is a hybrid of styles, some ancient, some modern. Chapters include "Boundaries," in which a variety of fences, walls, and gates are presented along with accessible descriptions of construction techniques.

The Art of Japanese Joinery by Kiyosi Seike Paperback

The Art of Setting Stones: And Other Writings from the Japanese Garden by Marc Peter Keane Paperback
154 pages
Eight essays on Kyoto gardens.

Bamboo for Gardens by Ted Jordan Meredith Hardcover
408 pages

The Bamboo, Grass & Palm Specialist: The Essential Guide to Selecting, Growing and Propagating Bamboos, Grasses and Palms by David Squire Paperback
80 pages
Starting with the basics of plant identification, this guide provides buying tips, planting information, cultivation, propagation, and displays.

Bamboos by Christine Recht Hardcover
160 pages
How to plant and grow bamboos, an encyclopedia of species particularly suited for the garden, bamboo's cultural influence in Asia, morphology and uses of the plant and its products.

The Book of Bamboo by David Farrelly Paperback
340 pages
Biology, lifecycle, tips on harvesting and planting, and lore.

Building Bamboo Fences by Isao Yoshikawa Paperback
144 pages
This book includes designs of traditional Japanese bamboo fences, as well as diagrams illustrating the basic techniques of creating a fence including splitting bending, joining and tying bamboo. Paired with step-by-step instructions, these designs will prove the perfect starting point for those who aspire to become a professional garden designer.

Building the Japanese House Today by Len Brackett And Peggy Landers Rao Hardcover
224 pages

Complete Japanese Joinery: A Handbook of Japanese Tool Use and Woodworking for Joiners and Carpenters by Yasuo Nakahara, Paul Nii (Translator), Hideo Sato Paperback

Creating Japanese Gardens by Philip Cave Paperback
176 pages

Garden Plants of Japan by Ran Levy-Yamamori, Gerard Taaffe Hardcover
440 pages
An illustrated and extensive encyclopedia of trees and shrubs, vines and herbaceous plants, grasses and ferns. Each entry covers cultivation requirements and illuminating details about how plants are used in gardens or bonsai, along with illuminating horticultural points of interest and historical background.

The Gardener's Guide to Growing Temperate Bamboos by Michael Bell Paperback
160 pages

Gardens of Gravel and Sand by Leonard Koren Paperback
96 pages

The Gardens of Japan by Teiji Itoh, Itoh Teiji Hardcover

The Gardens of Japan by Jiro Harada Hardcover
180 pages
An official of the Imperial Household in 1928 gives brief summaries of the Imperial gardens, including the Edo period (1603-1867), when professional gardeners first took over the design of gardens from priests, and reveals a few of the subtle distinctions that the Japanese use to distinguish between different kinds of gardens.

The Genius of Japanese Carpentry: The Secrets of a Craft by S. Azby Brown Paperback
156 pages

In the Japanese Garden by Michael S. Yamashita Paperback
108 pages
Bibb traces the Japanese garden from its ancient beginnings--when the early Japanese spread white sand in the forest groves to invite the kame, or spirits, to bring good fortune--to the modern-day garden, where no view is accidental, yet each is in harmony with the landscape. 73 full-color photographs.

Infinite Spaces: The Art and Wisdom of the Japanese Garden by Joe Earle Paperback
125 pages

The Japanese Garden: Islands of Serenity by Haruzo Ohashi (Photographer) Hardcover
100 pages

Japanese Garden Design by Marc P. Keane, Haruzo Ohashi (Photographer), Haruso Ohashi Hardcover
200 pages

Japanese Gardens of the Modern Era by Haruzo Ohashi Hardcover
104 pages

Japanese Courtyard Gardens: Photographs by Haruzo Ohashi (Photographer) Hardcover
106 pages. Great pictures.

Japanese Detail: Architecture by Sadao Hibi Paperback
144 pages
Surveys the essential elements of the Japanese aesthetic. From rough-hewn flagstone paths to the majestic lines of traditional roofs, from luminescent shoji screens and pristine paper walls to intricate latticework and ornate furnishings, this beautiful sourcebook draws together all the exquisite details of a style that is as timeless as it is contemporary.

Japanese Gardening in Small Spaces by Isao Yoshikawa Hardcover

Japanese Gardens by Guenther Nitschke Paperback
240 pages

Japanese Homes and Their Surroundings by Edward S. Morse, C. Lancaster Paperback

Japanese Touch for Your Garden by Kiyoshi Seike, Masanobu Kudo, Haruzo Ohashi (Photographer), David H. Engel Paperback
80 pages, 100+ color photos.

Landscapes for Small Spaces: Japanese Courtyard Gardens by Katsuhiko Mizuno Hardcover
136 pages
According to the aesthetic principles long prevailing in Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan, even two rocks arranged in a tiny, enclosed space can be considered a garden. This type of garden is called a tsuboniwa, and Kyoto has long being considered its birthplace and home.

The Lure of the Japanese Garden by Alison Main Hardcover
224 pages
A journey through the gardens of Japan—their art, culture, and history. A tour of over 120 gardens spanning east, west, north, and south in Japan, and a glossary of terms and a chronological summary of the gardens in different historical periods. 120 color photographs and illustrations.

Measure and Construction of the Japanese House by Heino Engel, Heinrich Engel Paperback
149 pages

The Modern Japanese Garden by Michiko Rico Nose Hardcover
176 pages

Nature on View: Homes and Gardens Inspired by Japan by Jean Mahoney, Peggy Landers Rao Hardcover

Ortho's All About Creating Japanese Gardens Paperback
112 pages

Reading Zen in the Rocks: The Japanese Dry Landscape Garden by Francois Berthier Hardcover
136 pages

Sakuteiki: Visions of the Japanese Garden by Jiro Takei Hardcover
264 pages
Written by a Japanese court noble nearly 1,000 years ago, Sakuteiki, or Records of Garden Making, is the oldest known treatise on the art of Japanese garden design. This work delves into the culture and customs of ancient Japanese society, offering insight into the Japanese view of not only gardening, but of living life. In an era when even the art of setting stones was seen as a spiritually significant and aesthetically powerful act, Sakuteiki became a metaphor for the Japanese way of life. The publication of Sakuteiki: Visions of the Japanese Garden is the first complete English translation of this classic work,

The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama Paperback

Secret Teachings in the Art of Japanese Gardens: Design Principles, Aesthetic Values by David A. Slawson Paperback
220 pages
The author draws on his own experience as an apprentice to a master gardener in Kyoto, and includes a translation of a classic gardening manual used by Buddhist monks in medieval Japan.

Shoji: How to Design, Build, and Install Japanese Screens in Your Home by Jay Van Arsdale, Arsdale Van Paperback
96 pages

Simply Zen: Interiors and Gardens by David L. Scott Paperback
160 pages
The book begins with the fundamentals of Zen design; continues with a look at Zen interiors; and concludes with a survey of Zen gardens. Includes 125 color photographs in addition to a resource section listing architects, designers, and suppliers.

Styles and Motifs Japanese Gardens by Katsuhiko Mizuno Plastic Comb
62 pages Flip reference featuring 31 Kyoto gardens.

Tansu: Traditional Japanese Cabinetry by Ty Heineken Paperback
248 pages

The Tea Garden: Kyoto's Culture Enclosed by Preston L. Houser Paperback
(Out of Print--Limited Availability)

Themes in the History of Japanese Garden Art by Wybe Kuitert Hardcover
296 pages
The book goes beyond the popular understanding of Japanese gardens and locates them in a larger social and cultural context, revealing not only how gardeners conceived their works, but also how gardens functioned during key periods in classical, medieval, and early modern Japanese history.

Traditional Japanese Furniture: A Definitive Guide by Kazuko Koizumi, Alfred T. Birnbaum Hardcover
223 pages

The Wabi-Sabi House: The Japanese Art of Imperfect Beauty by Robyn Griggs Lawrence Hardcover
192 pages
Explains an emerging trend in home design: wabi-sabi, a combination of "humble" and "beauty in the natural progression of time." More a mind-set than a style, the book tells how to go about creating the exceptional from the ordinary.

What Is Japanese Architecture? by Kazuo Nishi, Kazuo Hozumi Paperback
144 pages
With over 300 drawings that illuminate the essentials of discussion more concretely than words could ever do, and a text that is succinct and always to the point, the book is divided into four parts--one each dealing chronologically with religious structures, residences, castles, and places of entertainment.

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