The oldest Japanese treatise on gardens, written for the owners and builders of shinden-style estates. It explains how to lay out the south court, the pond and its islands, the stream and the waterfall, and how to set stones, and lists the taboos a garden must not break.
The text is traditionally attributed to Tachibana no Toshitsuna (1028–1094), a son of the regent Fujiwara no Yorimichi, who grew up in the great estates of the Fujiwara and was himself a noted gardener. It gathers the practice of his day into principles: the garden should recall famous landscapes, follow the “request” of the stones and the lie of the land, and be composed after the owner’s own taste and the traditions of the masters.
Its rules for the shinden estate are concrete. The south court before the main hall must be deep enough for ceremonies: six or seven jō from the hall to the edge of the pond, more at an imperial palace. The stream should enter from the east, pass before the house and leave to the south-west, for water flowing from the direction of the Azure Dragon toward that of the White Tiger carries away impurity. Islands, bridges, fishing pavilions and waterfalls are proportioned to the pond and the estate.
The book, part by part
I The south court, the pond and the islands
The depth of the south court; the shape of the pond; kinds of island.
II Streams, waterfalls and the setting of stones
The direction of flowing water; waterfalls of several types; the placing of stones and the taboos.