A book for connoisseurs and lovers of garden design and Japanese garden culture. The oldest garden book in the world, the Sakuteiki, was written by an unknown nobleman at the court of the Japanese emperor around the end of the 12th century. It systematically describes the garden design style of the Heian period and addresses practical questions of gardening. This book documented the magnificent art of Japanese gardens for the first time and kept the gardening tradition alive. Even today, the rules and philosophical principles from the Heian period are still regarded as relevant, such as the four traditional lines of allegorical meanings.