Toru Takemitsu, the leading Japanese composer, was one of the greatest film composers. This is not an irrelevant observation with which to begin a discussion of one of the finest solo classical guitar works of the century, for like most of Takemitsu's music the composition is profoundly visual in inspiration.

Takemitsu original rejected all aspects of Japanese arts in his music, surely a reaction to the militaristic portrayal of Japanese value promoted by those who led the country into fifteen years of war, ending in devastation, beginning near the time of Takemitsu's birth in 1930. But after only a few years of active composition, this changed, and Japanese artistic values and even sounds found there way into his music. In particular, he found inspiration in the traditional Japanese gardens. The title and part of the inspiration comes from a painting by Paul Klee.

Takemitsu's music owes more to the French composers Debussy and Messiaen than any other composes for its harmonic style and the way his harmonies are used as selections of color rather than as a force to move and structure the music. The use of sheer sound is also an important feature of this music. The music is atmospheric, in four short movements totalling about eight minutes.

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