Sakuteiki (作庭記, literally, Records of Garden Making) is the oldest published Japanese text on garden-making. It is said to be the oldest garden planning text in the world. It was written in the mid-to-late 11th century. Later during the Kamakura period, it was referred to as the Senzai Hisshō, or the Secret Selection on Gardens, before it acquired the title Sakuteiki in the Edo period.
It is the first systematic record of the styles of gardening in the Heian period, which was passed on through an oral tradition. It precisely defines the art of landscape gardening as an aesthetic endeavor based on poetic feeling of the designer and the site.
The late Professor Jiro Takei translated Sakuteiki into modern Japanese. Together with Marc Peter Keane and a team of experts, they spent two years annoting and working on the English edition. A writer and a garden designer, Marc Peter Keane will share about this experience. That of what has been altogether a collective research, a creative writing, an act of transmission, and a work of poetry: the art of translation.
Marc Peter Keane is a garden designer, artist, and author. Having lived in Kyoto, Japan, for over 20 years, his work is deeply influenced by the aesthetics and culture of Japan. His most recent interest is exploring contemporary forms of the ancient gardening style called karesansui.
Keane’s writing includes works on Japanese gardens such as Japanese Garden Design, Sakuteiki, The Japanese Tea Garden, and Japanese Garden Notes. He has also published collections of essays on nature, art and gardens including The Art of Setting Stones and Of Arcs and Circles. His most recent work is the novel, Proxima’s Gift.
www.mpkeane.com
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April 27th (Su) 14:00-16:00
Capacity: 20 participants
Language: English
Venue: Black Cat Day Dream (60-6 Ichijoji Saikata-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto)
Google map
Admission: Free
Organizer: black cat day dream
IG: black_cat_day_dream
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「in bloom」
An exhibition by black cat day dream｜展示
April 11th (Fr) to May 4th (Su), 2025
2025.04.11（金）－ 05.04 (日)
Reading room｜writing room｜リーディングルーム・ライティングルーム
Friday（金）、 Saturday（土）、Sunday（日）+ May 1st (Thur｜木)
11:00 －18:00 (sunset｜日没）
事前予約制｜Reservation required -- Form｜フォーム
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