Japanese Zen Gardens - Rilegato

Kawaguchi, Yoko

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 0711234477 ISBN 13: 9780711234475

Casa editrice: Frances Lincoln, 2014

Riassunto

The original large format edition of Japanese Zen Gardens. Japan's iconic zen gardens are revealed in Alex Ramsay's specially commissioned photographs and their history and meaning is explored in Yoko Kawaguchi's learned text.

The austere, enigmatic rock gardens of Kyoto, Japan’s ancient capital, have never ceased to fascinate garden lovers. Weather-beaten rocks set in an expanse of white sand raked into geometric patterns challenge the idea of a garden as a space chiefly dedicated to the cultivation and appreciation of plants. How did the taste for this kind of garden arise? What do the stones represent? Why aren’t there more flowers?
This book sets out to answer questions such as these. It explores the Zen characteristics of these gardens, and discusses the impact Zen Buddhism has had on the Japanese way of looking at the natural world. The book considers how these gardens can be seen as artistic representations of Zen consciousness, reflecting the longing for religious enlightenment.
This book also shows how key traditional concepts, such as that of using the confined space of a garden to create a landscape in miniature, were reinterpreted in Zen temple gardens. It explores how they make use of traditional imagery, such as those of mountain and sea, and how they reflect that acute sensitivity to the passage of time and the changing of the seasons which characterizes so many other Japanese garden styles.
Richly illustrated with newly commissioned photography by Alex Ramsay, this book covers important examples of Japanese Zen temple gardens from the fourteenth century through to the twentieth century. It appeals to readers who are interested in gardens, garden design and garden history, as well as in Zen Buddhism and Zen aesthetics. It also serves as a useful reference book for travellers planning a trip to Japan to visit the country’s temples.

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Recensione:

With illuminating words and ravishing photographs by Alex Ramsey, this new volume is a dream-like tour of some of Japan’s most sublime  horticultural masterpieces’ 

'This is an important source for understanding one of the world’s greatest garden traditions’

‘Its erudition is beautifully balanced by Alex Ramsey’s exquisite photography’

'Kawaguchi explains tradition, imagery and meaning with great skill. And the images, by regular world-garden-travelling photographer Alex Ramsay, are up to his normal high standards. In fact, on many of the pages, you find yourself wondering whether you'd have rather had more text (so interesting) or bigger photos (so delightful).’

‘Its erudition is beautifully balanced by Alex Ramsey’s exquisite photography’

‘Excellent new book...beautifully illustrated. Packed with fascinating insights, from tea gardens to the history of the beloved azaleas. It is an illuminating blend of the ever-changing past and the present. If you are going to visit Kyoto’s gardens, read her account first.’  

'the beautiful images throughout this book are an exquisite window on the symbolic landscapes that were created in the grounds of Zen Buddhist temples in centuries past'

'This is an important source for understanding one of the world’s greatest garden traditions’

With illuminating words and ravishing photographs by Alex Ramsey, this new volume is a dream-like tour of some of Japan’s most sublime  horticultural masterpieces’ 

L'autore:

Alex Ramsay is well known as an award-winning photographer of architecture, gardens and landscapes. His work has appeared in leading magazines worldwide and illustrates many books including Helena Attlee's Italian Gardens: A Cultural History and Gardens of Wales.

To visit Alex Ramsay's website click here

YOKO KAWAGUCHI was born in Tokyo and educated in the United States, Canada and Japan. She has lived in the UK for the last twenty years. The author of Serene Gardens: Creating Japanese Design and Detail in the Western Garden, she lectures on Japanese garden history, and has appeared on BBC Radio Four’s Woman’s Hour and the BBC World Service.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Frances Lincoln
• Data di pubblicazione: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0711234477
• ISBN 13: 9780711234475
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 208