Owing to their ageless beauty, stones - uncut and arranged in creative, subtle ways - play a pivotal role in traditional Japanese gardens, one even more important than trees, shrubbery, and flowers. Not merely decorative embellishments, stone arrangements define a garden both as to the era in which it was laid out and its overall aesthetic qualities.

Containing 123 photographs and 115 illustrations, is a virtual encyclopedia of garden stone arrangements, written after years of research into the famous and not-so-well-known traditional gardens of Japan, from those laid out in the earliest times to turn-of-the-century estates, from the austere temple garden of Ryoan-ji in Kyoto to the rather striking works of feudal daimyo.

More than just a pictorial presentation of famous works, however, this book also includes practical sections on purchase of materials and layout of arrangements for your own garden.