Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This study of the Japanese Zen garden as living art treats the landscapes like the Chinese ink brush paintings that many of the gardens effect with their use of depth, distance, and symbol. Rocks are arranged to look like mountains, waterfalls, cranes, and turtles; trees and flowers are placed to evoke great distances. The book opens with a history of Japanese Zen gardens, from precursors in the fifth through twelfth centuries to the first truly Zen Buddhist gardens in the 13th century, then surveys those Zen gardens that advanced the traditions over many centuries up to today. The second half of the book explores the elements and symbols that serve to ground the visitor in awareness "of each transient moment in our fleeting lives." Long sidebars titled "Gardens of Distinction" focus on the simple details of these gardens, such "stones tied with black hemp-palm rope" to indicate the path to a tea ceremony. The photographs by Alex Ramsay and a scattering of landscape plans elevate the book further. A list of gardens to visit, a glossary, and a timeline of relevant historical events in Japan, China, and Europe round out this comprehensive survey. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by Library Journal Review
Japanese gardens are all about distilling the essence of nature into a composed oasis of tranquility. In her latest book, landscape lecturer Kawaguchi (Serene Gardens: Creating Japanese Design and Detail in the Western Garden) introduces Western readers to the primary concepts and key components of Japan's Zen temple and tea gardens. After opening with a historical overview of temple gardens, she analyzes a selection of notable gardens by explaining the role each element-stones, plants, water, etc.-plays in the landscape as a whole. The section on the symbols and motifs found in Japanese gardens is especially enlightening, and the directory of contact information for temple gardens will be a boon for those who wish to explore these places firsthand. VERDICT This volume neatly captures the quiet elegance and minimalist beauty of these spaces, and the combination of Kawaguchi's insightful prose and Ramsay's gorgeous photographs makes it a terrific introduction to the subject.-John Charles, Scottsdale P.L., AZ (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
