Reflections from Kyoto
Leslie Buck’s goal of becoming an apprentice gardener in Japan began when she was studying horticulture at Oakland’s Merritt College. When she joined other students pruning a campus pine in the Japanese manner, she knew what direction she wanted her education to take. She recounts that journey in her memoir “Cutting Back: My Apprenticeship in the Gardens of Kyoto” (Timber Press, $21.48).
After further study of Japanesestyle pruning and bonsai growing, as well as Japanese language and culture, Buck made her leap of faith. With no job offer and only a pocketful of letters of reference, she flew to Japan with the goal of becoming an apprentice.
At first, she feared that she might end up just sitting and drawing in some fine Kyoto public gardens during her entire stay, watching the pruners she longed to join. But after her initial fears and confusion about how to proceed, she recounts her successful interview, and then describes her experiences working with a fast-paced, all-male crew of gardeners in a renowned Kyoto gardening firm.
Buck’s book is as much a story of bravery and the challenge of adapting to an unfamiliar culture as it is of horticulture. Anyone contemplating a brave career gamble will learn from it. However, those with an interest in horticulture will find the story particularly engrossing, as will anyone who wants to better understand Japanese culture and Japanese gardens.
Buck learned the tools and techniques of the gardening trade. Traditional Japanese gardens, she learned, are 90 percent native plants, and most are pruned to look natural, not given the sheared look common in American imitations. Subtle symbols guide viewers through them: A wide stepping stone marks a viewing point; a black rope tied around a rock means “Do not step past here” or “This is a Sacred Place.”
Japanese gardeners train for years, then work in silence, six days a week, with intense dedication. Foremen instruct mainly by criticizing mistakes, or even responding to mistakes with mirth. Gardeners are revered by other Japanese for their dedication and long training. This book allows us a rich and nuanced view into what creates these craftspeople, and into what the author learned. Better yet, she brought those lessons back to her Bay Area clients and, through this fascinating book, to the rest of us.
Leslie Buck’s May 25 speaking engagement at the UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley, part of its Japan in the Garden series, is full. But the yearlong series continues with other events. Check the website for a complete list, http://botanical garden.berkeley.edu.