Customer Reviews

Japanese Gardens (Midsize)

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"...our earth is both a living and conscious entity. . .when a human being becomes conscious of himself as part of the earth, and of the earth as part of the universe, so the universe itself thereby becomes conscious of itself. . . enlightenment. . .consciousness becoming aware of itself.

At this delicate moment... a flower opens in the "garden" of the universe."

Japanese Gardens is a 239 page historical visual spiritual odyssey through man's interpretation of nature in confined space. Chapter subheadings focus atmosphere: Gardens as mindscapes, Gardens as subsitutes for travel, Gardens of seclusion, Gardens of austerity, Gardens of joy.

Drawings, b/w and color photos illustrate the history and evolution of Japanese garden design.

The book Intimate Spaces by Joe Earle, exclusively color photographs of spiritual gardens, is a fine complement to Nitschke's book with it's comprehensive written text.

Video sources of garden inspiration can be seen in movie backgrounds: James Clavell's Shogun (5 disc 12 hour miniseries on DVD with extra disc explaining tea ceremony, geisha, samurai), Sayonara (tiny household garden, public garden spaces), The Last Samurai [Blu-ray] (community as garden, cherry blossoms), Memoirs of a Geisha (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition) (cherry blossom garden), Departures healing through landscape and music.

Actual Japanese Gardens to visit: Japanese Garden San Francisco, Japanese Garden Portland Oregon, Hakone Garden (site of filming of Memoirs of Geisha) Saratoga Village (south of San Francisco) California.

Thoughtful quiet moving book.

This book provides a detailed education about Japanese gardens. It is logically organized, beautifully photographed, and pleasing. The content as it explains structure leaves one impressed by the flexibility of the inflexible rules. The book belongs on a coffee table. It is quite different from Garden Watering A Zen Experience which is not conventional. I would be remiss with out mentioning the illustrations are from famous public and private spaces --with a bow to the author. Matt Cohen