The Garden as Architecture: Form and Spirit in the Gardens of Japan, China and Korea [Hardcover]

Toshiro Inaji (Author), Pamela Virgilio (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1998

This is a detailed study of the strikingly different interpretations of the form and role of the garden as part of architectural form made by Japan, Korea and China, as well as an examination of the social, philosophical and cultural circumstances that gave rise to them. Within this context, the garden is considered as an integral part of the building(s) it supports, as well as on its own merit.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... the concentration and study required to fully appreciate this book is sure to be amply rewarded." -- Debbie Greenfield, The Garden Design Journal

"... the only comparative study in English, of the three great gardening traditions of Asia." -- John Talbot, Shakkei: The Quarterly Journal of The Japanese Garden Society

"A must-read for anyone interested in this profound and remarkable cultural phenomenon." -- Peter Walker, Landscape Architect

It is not a book for beginners; but those with some knowledge will find their understanding ... enhanced and deepened...." -- Susan Pares, The Royal Society for Asian Affairs

About the Author

Toshiro Inaji is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Design at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, Professor at Takarazuka University of Art and Design in Kansai, and Visiting Professor at the Beijing Central Polytechnic Institute of Fine Arts. His article, "Nihon teien to tateya no kanren ni kansuru ichiren no kenky" (Explorations of the relationship between Japanese gardens and architecture) was awarded the Japan Society for the Science of Design Prize in 1988; this work formed the basis for The Garden As Architecture. He is also the author of Kankyo dezain no rekishi tenbo (Historical perspectives on environmental design).

Pamela Virgilio, the translator and adapter, earned a Master of Fine Arts in environmental design from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, where she studied under Toshiro Inaji. She has lived for ten years in Tokyo, where she works as a graphic designer and translator specializing in art and architecture.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha International (JPN) (August 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 477001712X
• ISBN-13: 978-4770017123
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #538,412 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Contrasts in how 3 cultures relate buildings & gardens., April 15, 2000

By 

Eric Miller (Albuquerque, NM USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Garden as Architecture: Form and Spirit in the Gardens of Japan, China and Korea (Hardcover)

The highest compliment which I can pay to a book is to say that it has a place in my "Desert Island" library - that is to say that if I were to find myself stranded on an island and could only have a few books on a given subject, this would be one of them. The Garden as Architecture is such a book; it is fascinating, well-written and profusely illustrated, and is lucid enough to be enjoyable the first time but sufficiently rich and complex in it's material that it continues to yield additional insights after repeated re-readings. It consists of a cross-cultural comparison of the relationships between architecture and the adjacent outdoor spaces, in the traditional cultures of Japan, China and Korea. I use the term "outdoor space" rather than "garden" because the author makes the point that these 3 cultures differ significantly in the use and meaning which they give to these spaces, which use of the word garden for all 3 does not adequately convey. The section on Japanese gardens and architecture is somewhat longer than the Chinese and Korean sections; it alone is worth the price of the book. The author describes the evolution of residential and temple architecture (starting with Heian-period Shinden style estates and proceeding thru the Shoin and Sukiya styles of the medieval and Edo periods) as well as the changes which occurred in the adjacent gardens. He shows that architecture and the gardens appear to have changed together as part of a mutually-dependant co-evolution, rather than having evolved independently of one another. For example, he describes how as a result of changes in the design of the shutters (shitomido), doors (mairado), and shoji screens used to screen the exterior from the interior of the building, the views of the garden were dramatically altered over time, which influenced the design of the garden. Elsewhere he argues that the south dry-landscape gardens of the Zen temples and the pond-and-hill gardens of warrior residences both evolved from the same prototypical Heian-period Shinden south garden by a process in which certain elements of the latter were emphasized (while others were condensed or retained only by implication rather than explicitly), with the later gardens differing from each other by what was chosen for emphasis. This is a fascinating idea because it is very similar to the process of idealization and abbreviation which many authors have used to describe the relationship between the Japanese garden and the larger natural landscape. The sections on Chinese and Korean gardens are more concerned with the influence of geographic/climatic and social factors than they are with their evolution over time. I'm not sufficiently versed in these subjects to comment on them except to note that the material in these sections is equally interesting, and concerns a subject about which little has been published in English compared with the volume of material on the Japanese garden & architecture. Since the Chinese and Japanese gardens were strongly influenced by Taoism and Zen respectively, the differences between them provide a degree of insight into the contrasting philosophies of these two religions. I have only one minor complaint concerning this book. The numbering of the illustrations is complex and at times confusing, and they are widely separated from the text which discuses them with distressing frequency - expect to be flipping the pages a lot. On a final note, you will get the most out of this book if you already have some familiarity (from more introductory sources) with the subjects covered. The illustrations are all in black & white, so a good large format color book (e.g. by Marc Keane or Teiji Itoh) on Japanese gardens would make an excellent companion, while the visual and spatial arguments in this book can be appreciated more deeply after having worked thru David Slawson's "Secret Teachings in the Art of Japanese Gardens" (which is also in my "Desert Island" library).

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book Nitty-Gritty, March 26, 2010

By 

Theseus "theseus" (US of A) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Garden as Architecture: Form and Spirit in the Gardens of Japan, China and Korea (Hardcover)

Hardcover: cloth over boards with a sewn binding in heavy dustjacket. Large format; illustrations throughout; 204 pp; 3 pounds.

End Notes; Chronology of Historic Periods in Japan, China, and Korea; Glossary; Selected References; Index.