Mirei Shigemori (1896–1975), a historian trained in painting and ikebana, is increasingly admired for his contemporary Japanese garden designs. Believing the garden had fallen into cliché, Shigemori applied modernist shapes, colors and materials to create stunning avant-garde works that also celebrated the ancient Japanese gods and rituals. This book explores 10 major Shigemori works—from the checkerboard garden of Tofukuji (1939) and the “Hidden Christian” dry landscape at Zuiho-in (1961) to the masterful stone settings at Matsuo Taisha (1975)—using design/cultural analysis, garden plans and photographs.

Christian Tschumi is a landscape architect with degrees from Harvard and Kyoto.

Markuz Wernli is a designer and photographer in Kyoto.