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The Art of Setting Stones: And Other Writings from the Japanese Garden
In Japanese gardens, composition follows from placement of the first stone; all elements and plantings become interconnected. These eight essays on Kyoto gardens similarly begin with keen description and build into richly meditative excursions into art, Buddhism, nature, and science. Landscape architect Marc Keane shows how Japanese gardens are both a microcosm of the natural universe and a clear expression of our humanity, mirroring how we think, worship, and organize our lives and communities. Filled with passages of alluring beauty, this is a truly transcendent book about "experiencing" Japanese design.
Marc Peter Keane has lived in Kyoto for 17 years and is author of Japanese Garden Design. He designs residential, company, and temple gardens.
Marc Peter Keane has lived in Kyoto for 17 years and is author of Japanese Garden Design. He designs residential, company, and temple gardens.
- GenresJapanGardeningNonfiction
160 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2002
18 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 9, 2018
Was disappointed to read that facts in here weren't concrete- led to believe it was going to be more of a discussion on the more pivotal parts of the Japanese garden.
If you want to know of the 'art of setting stones'- expect from this book, to not learn the 'art of setting stones' but to instead have a long-winded, emotionally-distant account of the author's (albeit accredited) viewpoint on the Japanese garden.
Self indulgent and tiring read.
If you want to know of the 'art of setting stones'- expect from this book, to not learn the 'art of setting stones' but to instead have a long-winded, emotionally-distant account of the author's (albeit accredited) viewpoint on the Japanese garden.
Self indulgent and tiring read.
October 6, 2024
Definitely want to read at least a few of the stories from this again. Very contemplative pieces that make you want to take a step back and just appreciate things around you.
Not sure I can explain how, but I couldn't help but be reminded of Joe Pera videos, especially on the last story, in terms of how the narration takes place.
Not sure I can explain how, but I couldn't help but be reminded of Joe Pera videos, especially on the last story, in terms of how the narration takes place.
February 18, 2025
I was excited to open this book and see how beautifully written it was. I really did enjoy some of the essays about the passage of time in the garden and how it shows, what boundaries and gateways create a garden, how entertained nature and humanity are. We are not this unnatural source of chaos on the natural world, at times we are locust devouring everything & at times we are ants building.
Where this book lost me is in its unlimited teasing of other info and facts. I learned more about how batteries work than I did about where to place a rock or path within a garden wall. And, I think it read a bit more like an autobiography of Marc Peter Keane’s life than a collection of writings from the Japanese Garden.
‘…a tiny bug that has been fluttering in the bushes near the veranda drifts over toward me… one of those lithe spring apparitions whose winged life spans only a few days— so short-lived it must view plum blossoms as eternal while we mourned their brevity.’
‘The garden is a place for the gentle builder and humble artist to call their home, a place for them, and all those who visit thereafter, to find their way back to a unified world where there are no boundaries. No point where the garden ends and the mountain begins.’
Where this book lost me is in its unlimited teasing of other info and facts. I learned more about how batteries work than I did about where to place a rock or path within a garden wall. And, I think it read a bit more like an autobiography of Marc Peter Keane’s life than a collection of writings from the Japanese Garden.
‘…a tiny bug that has been fluttering in the bushes near the veranda drifts over toward me… one of those lithe spring apparitions whose winged life spans only a few days— so short-lived it must view plum blossoms as eternal while we mourned their brevity.’
‘The garden is a place for the gentle builder and humble artist to call their home, a place for them, and all those who visit thereafter, to find their way back to a unified world where there are no boundaries. No point where the garden ends and the mountain begins.’
September 3, 2019
A book of eight meditative essays, with themes rooted in Japanese gardens. Each begins with a lovely black and white illustration. The first essay, Currents, was my favorite.
+ Asymmetric placement of stones lends dynamic visual movement / potential energy.
+ Yin / Yang and perpetual imbalance.
+ Stones in garden as testament to community.
+ Stones as mountain in miniature.
+ Setting stones is fundamental to the act of garden building.
+ Stones are animate. Follow the request of the stone.
+ Garden as an altar for nature. Simplify to accentuate.
Favorite quote, from Currents, page 23:
The breeze lofts again; a tiny bug that has been fluttering in the bushes near the veranda drifts over toward me. It alights briefly on the table then flits away, one of those lithe spring apparitions whose winged life spans only a few days -- so short-lived it must view plum blossoms as eternal while we mourn their brevity.
From Layers, page 89:
The present marks the moment at which future flows to past, yet in the instant of its conception, it is already gone.
+ Asymmetric placement of stones lends dynamic visual movement / potential energy.
+ Yin / Yang and perpetual imbalance.
+ Stones in garden as testament to community.
+ Stones as mountain in miniature.
+ Setting stones is fundamental to the act of garden building.
+ Stones are animate. Follow the request of the stone.
+ Garden as an altar for nature. Simplify to accentuate.
Favorite quote, from Currents, page 23:
The breeze lofts again; a tiny bug that has been fluttering in the bushes near the veranda drifts over toward me. It alights briefly on the table then flits away, one of those lithe spring apparitions whose winged life spans only a few days -- so short-lived it must view plum blossoms as eternal while we mourn their brevity.
From Layers, page 89:
The present marks the moment at which future flows to past, yet in the instant of its conception, it is already gone.
Currently reading
January 23, 2023"The boy, like the flower--it is not the process of their changing but the realization of their having changed that impresses the mind because it is in that moment we sense time most clearly."
"The camellias off to the side of the garden are full blown, dropping not petal by petal but in their entirety, clumping like clotted blood around the base of the trees."
"The camellias off to the side of the garden are full blown, dropping not petal by petal but in their entirety, clumping like clotted blood around the base of the trees."
August 8, 2019
This is one of those books that you take your time with. It's thoughtful and introspective, and really isn't something to breeze through. Like meditation, the experience is in the reading and not in the completion.
December 28, 2018
It's rare to find such beautiful writing as this. I am pleased that I invested both time and money in it. I will enjoy reading many times.
April 8, 2022
i am not the right audience for this book 🙇♀️
April 22, 2024
As much as I enjoyed reading this book, the title is extremely misleading: I was expecting a bigger focus on the structure of gardens and less focus on the personal and philosophical thoughts.
September 2, 2016
Reading The Art of Setting Stones was wonderful! The book was divided into eight sections, each written as a meditation on some aspect of the Japanese garden. Each section is filled with many little moments. I found myself taking a week to read each section, pausing to let each small moment settle before going on to the next. Keane’s words created images and feelings that needed to be enjoyed and absorbed, not rushed. The illustrations were as lovely as the words. The Art of Setting Stones is a book that I will definitely revisit. A++++
July 30, 2014
This book ranges so far beyond gardening that people who just want garden tips will be bewildered. Keane covers relativity and quantum physics, ecology and ancient history, religion and psychology, all in a deeply effecting and poetic way that is beautifully written. I am truly grateful to have read this book.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews