1 of 1 copy available
—HGTV Gardens
Featuring beautiful Japanese garden photography and insightful writing, Kyoto Gardens is a labor of love from master photographer Ben Simmons and Kyoto-based writer Judith Clancy. In their rocks and plants, empty spaces and intimate details—Kyoto's gardens manifest a unique ability to provoke thought and delight in equal measure. These varied landscapes meld the sensuality of nature with the disciplines of cosmology, poetry and meditation. Japanese aristocrats created these gardens to display not just wealth and power, but cultural sensitivity and an appreciation for transcendent beauty. A class of professional gardeners eventually emerged, transforming Japanese landscape design into a formalized art. Today, Kyoto's gardens display an enormous range of forms—from rock gardens display of extreme minimalism and subtle hues, to stroll gardens of luscious proportions and vibrant colors.
In Kyoto Gardens Simmons' photographs present a fresh and contemporary look at Kyoto's most important gardens. Their beauty is enhanced and humanized by gardeners tending the grounds using the tools of their art. Clancy's graceful text provides historical, aesthetic and cultural context to the Japanese gardens. Combining wonder and rigor, she describes how Kyoto's most beloved gardens remain faithful to their founders' creative spirit and conception. Journey to Kyoto's thirty gardens with just a turn of a page, or use the handy maps to plan your trip.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
March 10, 2015 -
Formats
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781462915033
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781462915033
- File size: 42391 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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April 1, 2015
Kyoto, once the capital of Japan, is steeped in history. It is known as the center of Japanese culture and Buddhism and for its colorful shrines and gardens. Clancy, who has lived in the country for the past 40 years, profiles 30 gardens, presented in sections on central/eastern, northern, western, and southern Kyoto. The gardens, created by Japanese nobility as a way to display their wealth and power, originated the art of Japanese garden design, one of the world's most popular and respected gardening styles. Each location is given four pages, which include a narrative about the history of the garden and how it remains faithful to its designer's creative spirit. Simmons's lovely color photographs capture perfectly the tranquility of the spaces. In addition to maps and a bibliography, the title includes a garden glossary and a "Time Period" key. VERDICT A beautiful book that will appeal to gardeners, armchair travelers, or readers interested in Japanese history and culture.--Phillip Oliver, Univ. of North Alabama Lib., Florence
Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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