Miniature Japanese landscapes (saikei) in the tradition of Toshio Kawamoto, Fournder of the School of Saikei. Uses Western landscapes as models and Western plants. Covers such arti concepts as composition, perspective, color, texture, line, movement, rhythm, and contrasts in compositions. Includes a letter of congratulations from Kawamoto.

Shows how to combine miniature trees, rocks, and vegetation to form replicas of gardens and other landscapes, and discusses style, depth, tools, equipment, and annual care

The Japanese Art of Stone Appreciation is an exploration into the art of suiseki—small, naturally formed stones selected for their shape, balance, simplicity and tranquility. Written by two leading experts in the field of Japanese gardening and art, this concise introduction offers aesthetic guidance and direct practical advice that is a window into traditional Japanese culture. It details the essential characteristics of a high-quality suiseki, describing the various systems of stone classification in this Japanese art form and explaining how to display a suiseki to its best advantage. There is also a section on incorporating suiseki alongside a bonsai tree, the most popular and rewarding complement to peaceful suiseki miniature landscape gardens. Sections include: Historical Background Characteristics and Aesthetic Qualities Classification of Suiseki Displaying a Stone Suiseki with Bonsai and Other Related Arts Collecting Suiseki How to Make a Carved Wooden Base Suiseki Classification Systems

Look at a rock: can you see the shadow of a giant boulder or a mountain? That's Suiseki--nature's larger forms repeating themselves in miniature. Here in breathtaking color are magnificent Suiseki stones, and the stunning, imaginative ways they have been arranged and exhibited in parks and gardens. Discover specimens shaped like humans and animals! Learn to create a Suiseki collection--necessary tools and how to display them.

Original Japanese edition published by Nitto Shoin Honsha Co., Ltd. in 2007.

Create a scenic landscape in miniature as Vietnamese people have done for hundreds of years, an art form akin to the more familiar art of bonsai.

With hundreds of color photographs and illustrations, this Chinese gardening book is a wonderful introduction to penjing—China's treasured bonsai art. Although most people thing bonsai is a Japanese invention, the art originated in ancient China where it is called penjing. The two Chinese characters for penjing ("pot" and "landscape") capture the essence of this art: sculpting microcosms of the beauty of the natural world from plants, rocks, soil, and water, both as an artistic process and as horticultural cultivation. Both penjing and bonsai are art forms that express the beauty of nature. In China, bonsai, as a part of penjing, is often called "tree penjing," or "tree in a pot." The Chinese divide penjing into three categories: tree penjing, rock penjing, and water-and-land penjing. This Chinese gardening book showcases the Chinese art of penjing in all its aspects for the benefit of penjing aficionados and all other readers interested in Chinese culture. It covers the concept, history, categories, aesthetic features, techniques, display, appreciation, and preservation of penjing. It is a feast for the eyes while providing a wealth of information for the academically inclined as well as the practically minded. There are more than 300 lavish illustrations grouped into three different categories of penjing. The reader will not only be awed by the beautiful compositions of penjing, but will also learn about the Chinese approach to nature and to life.