The creation of a Japanese garden combines a profound respect for nature with an adherence to certain basic principles of aesthetics and structure. In Japanese Garden Design, noted garden designer Marc Peter Keane explains the development and the application of traditional concepts and elements underlying all Japanese gardens.

Keane describes the multiple influences of Shinto, Confucian and Buddhist ideas linking poetry, art and philosophy with the remarkable experience of garden creation and enjoyment in Japanese culture. Creative inspiration is found in ancient Japanese precepts about nature; in the gardens of the Heian aristocracy; in the world-renowned Zen meditative rock gardens; in the intimate tea gardens and courtyard gardens of Kyoto; in the public stroll garden of Edo, and many other forms of garden expression.

Detailed explanations of the fundamental design concepts help the reader to to fully appreciate the meaning and intention of these various garden forms and all the principles still used today in designing a Japanese garden.