Japanese Gardens: Tranquility, Simplicity, Harmony [Hardcover]

Geeta K. Mehta (Author), Kimie Tada (Author), Murata Noboru (Author), Noboru Murata (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 2008

At the heart of a Japanese garden is harmony with nature. More than simply a landscape of trees and flowering shrubs, a Japanese garden provides a place of serenity and rest, filled with peaceful spots that lend themselves to meditation and contemplation. Japanese Gardens celebrates and illustrates this ideal, showcasing the exquisite natural beauty of more than 20 quintessentially Japanese gardens-big and small, urban and rural, traditional and contemporary.

The expert author-and-photographer team behind this book excels at capturing and explaining the essential elements and techniques that distinguish Japanese gardens from those of other countries. The featured sites range from large feudal period gardens, temple gardens and private and countryside gardens to mountain flower gardens, tea gardens and gardens devoted to miniature bonsai.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Capturing the essence of nature in twenty-three gardens in Japan, authors Geeta Mehta and Kimie Tada classify and tell the history of garden making in that country, as well as explain the elements and techniques in their design. The selection of landscapes is well chosen, ranging from classic temple gardens to public and private gardens in great variety and size. Noboru Murata's glorious photographs celebrate their beauty." — The National Gardener

About the Author

Geeta K. Mehta is a partner in the firm of Braden and Mehta Architects. She is the co-author of several books, including Japan Style and Japan Houses.

Kimie Tada runs I See All Inc., an editorial company set up in 2000. Previously she was editor-in-chief of Confort, a Japanese magazine featuring Japanese houses and interiors.

Noboru Murata is one of Japan's most accomplished design photographers. His recent publications include The Japanese House and Japan Style.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing; Hardcover with Jacket edition (November 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4805309423
• ISBN-13: 978-4805309421
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 9.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #482,634 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautful Book, September 13, 2009

By 

Puzzle (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Japanese Gardens: Tranquility, Simplicity, Harmony (Hardcover)

Japanes Gardens may be only a mid-size book, but it has some of the best examples of Japanese gardens that I have seen. The examples vary from temple to residential, from relatively grand to quite modest, but they are all outstanding in one way or another. They are very well photographed, and the images are large enough to really 'look around' in. I have quite a few 'picture' books on this subject, and Japanese Gardens is one of the most enjoyable to return to. For the last few weeks it's always been out, and often open... and I find myself frequently pausing to turn pages and ponder the beautiful images. The text is easy to read, and informative as well. This is a lovely book.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An informed and informative tour through the best examples of Japanese gardening techniques and philosophy extant today, December 14, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Japanese Gardens: Tranquility, Simplicity, Harmony (Hardcover)

Japanese gardens are legendary for their natural tranquility and artistically elegant use of space and topography. Co-compiled and written by Geeta K. Mehta and Kimie Tada, "Japanese Gardens: Tranquility, Simplicity, Harmony" visually showcases an impressive and memorable series of Japanese temple gardens, private gardens, and public gardens. Profusely illustrated throughout in full color photography by Noboru Murata, "Japanese Gardens" is an informed and informative tour through the best examples of Japanese gardening techniques and philosophy extant today. An elegant, beautiful, inspired and inspiring compilation, "Japanese Gardens" is a welcome and enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library Gardening & Landscape Design reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A splendid book on Japanese gardens!, December 22, 2009

By 

Kai Virihaur "Amateur Gardener" (Northern Europe) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Japanese Gardens: Tranquility, Simplicity, Harmony (Hardcover)

For me, the important thing to learn about Japanese gardens is the spirit behind them. Thus, I am not much interested in books of the "how to" type here. I believe you need to understand this subject at a deeper level.
Therefore, I find this book to be a most excellent guide to Japanese gardening. The pictures are simply stunning. The photographer is extremely skilled and has an almost magical ability to use the play of light and shadow to best advantage when portraying the gardens. Overall, the effect of looking at the pictures is almost like actually being there!
The accompanying texts are also well written and tells about the history of each garden.
Read this book, get yourself immersed in the pictures, to get some true intuitive understanding of the Japanese garden.