An Old Japanese Garden Manuscript and China

The Sakuteiki is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, garden-making manuals in the world, written in late 11th-century Kyoto for Japan’s aristocratic elite. Today, many garden historians celebrate it as the foundation of Japanese garden design and even call it the “bible of Japanese gardening.” Yet for most of its history, the text was rarely seen. It circulated only within limited circles and was rediscovered in the early 19th century. Only in the 20th century did scholars begin to elevate it to its iconic status. In doing so, they often minimized the strong Chinese influences that run through the manuscript, because acknowledging them would have complicated its role as a symbol of Japanese cultural heritage. This lecture explores the fascinating history of the Sakuteiki: its rediscovery, its transformation into a national cultural monument, and what this story reveals about how history is constructed and how texts are reinterpreted and instrumentalized over time.

Top image: Model of the fictional palace and gardens of Prince Genji in Heian-period Kyoto, at The Tale of Genji Museum (Uji). Photo: Christian Tagsold.