Japanese Stone Gardens: Origins, Meaning, Form
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.83 (759 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 4805310561 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 160 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-08-15 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
A Beautiful Illusion of Gardens Zack Davisson The study of the Japanese Stone Garden is the study of Japanese religion. The two are as inseparable as the symbolic architecture of Catholic Cathedrals and the Bible. There are no rocks in a Japanese stone garden, but only icons of Mt. Horai, home of the immortals, or great turtles swimming in the cosmic ocean, bearing the Earth on their backs. As author Stephen Mansfield states, Japanese gardens are works of religious art.Which is why "Japanese Stone Gardens: Origins, Meanings, Forms" is much more than a guide to the garden. Mansfield does his best to give you a crash-course on Buddhism and Shinto, on why stones in particular. "Detailed explanation and beautiful images of the Stone Gardens" according to Albert Ang. This book not only provides a detailed explanation but also beautiful photos of many interesting stone gardens throughout Japan. For other books on Japanese gardens, I recommend books by Marc P Keane (Japanese Garden Design), David and Michiko Young (The Art of the Japanese Garden), Geeta K Mehta and Kimie Tada (Japanese gardens - Tranquility, Simplicity and Harmony).. A bewitching and beautiful volume Of an old-fashioned bent, a Luddite at heart, I bemoan the shift in publishing from print to screen. A book should comprise ink and paper between covers. Its pages can be dog-eared, turned with a moistened thumb, scribbled on--indeed, the marginalia becomes part of the book. "Japanese Stone Gardens," then, is a book that reassures; for no e-book could duly reproduce Stephen Mansfield's photographs stretching across facing pages of a book whose design draws on the beauty of empty but expressive space as do the gardens it pictures.Which is not to imply the author-photographer is concerned only with the big picture of these garden
He is also the author of several books, including Japan: Islands of the Floating World, The Insight Pocket Guide to Tokyo and Eyewitness Travel Top 10 Tokyo, China: A Guide to Yunnan Province, Tokyo: A Cultural And Literary History. He recently designed and built a Japanese garden at his home in the outer suburbs of Tokyo, a project that took four seasons to complete. . Since living in Japan, he has become an authority on Japanese gardens, and has tr
He traces the influences of Shintoism, Taoism, and, most significantly, Zen Buddhism, and artfully delineates the aesthetics of stone, sand, and gravel arranged to embrace and transcend nature, embody impermanence and stillness, and inspire contemplation and serenity. By creating a vivid social context for the evolution of stone gardens over the centuries and portraying seminal master gardeners, Mansfield vitalizes this seemingly austere tradition. Considered “seats of the gods,” stones were placed in
For this reason the value of the Japanese stone garden today is arguably even greater than when many of them were created. These gardens provide tranquil settings where visitors can shed the burdens and stresses of modern existence, satisfy an age-old yearning for solitude and repose, and experience the restorative power of art and nature. Fifteen gardens are featured in this book, some well known, such as the famous temple gardens of Kyoto, others less so, among them gardens spread through the south of Honshu Island and the southern islands of Shikoku and Kyushu and in faraway Okinawa.. With insightful text and abundant imagery, this book reveals the hidden order of stone gardens and in the process heightens the enthusiast's appreciation of them.The Japanese stone garden is an art form recognized around the globe. Gain some new ideas along with the principles and history of Japanese stone gardening with this useful and beautiful gard