Japanese-Style Gardens of the Pacific West Coast [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Melba Levick (Author), Kendall Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1999

From 1890 to the present, Japanese-style gardens have been built on the Pacific West Coast so skillfully and in such large numbers that they have become an integral part of the region's landscape and culture. "Japanese-Style Gardens of the Pacific West Coast" explores the significance of these delightfully elegant landscapes, presenting those of the United States and California as being distinctly North American, rather than imitations of the Asian original.

Primarily designed by Japanese immigrants and their descendants as a way of maintaining ties to their motherland while assimilating into a new culture, these gardens of the Pacific West Coast offer a reflection of the complex role of Japanese culture in North America before, during, and after World War II.

Melba Levick's splendid color photography vibrantly captures the beauty of twenty gardens featured in this volume. Kendall Brown's authoritative text discusses the evolution of function and aesthetic, as well as patronage, of each of these gardens.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This elegant book begins with Brown's absorbing history of Japanese-style gardens in North America. He explains that in the twentieth century, more large-scale public Japanese-style gardens were built outside of Japan than within; the bulk of these were built in North America, particularly along the Pacific coast. As Melba Levick's stunning color photographs show, the elements of these 20 gardens are stone lanterns, torii gates, arched and zigzag bridges, rocks, sand, ponds, and flowers. The gardens are in California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. They range from the oldest, the Japanese Tea Garden at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco and the Japanese Friendship Garden at Balboa Park in San Diego, to those in private retreats and to those sponsored by universities and corporations. Each is explained in terms of its place in the evolution of the Japanese-style garden and the relation of its function to its design. George Cohen

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli (April 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847821099
• ISBN-13: 978-0847821099
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #676,413 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Are Japanese Gardens in the U.S. fakes?, December 29, 2000

By 

Richard W. Amero (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Japanese-Style Gardens of the Pacific West Coast (Hardcover)

Kendall H. Brown begins his history of Japanese-style gardens with a quote from James Rose to the effect that Japanese gardens outside of Japan are fakes. Brown's attitude is, however, more ambiguous than ambivalent. He seldom says he doesn't like something. His liking may be found between the lines. At the end of his history, Brown concludes that Japanese-style gardens are meant for play. It is pleasant to think of people having a smiling time in Japanese-style gardens . . . the wistaria, azalea, carp and waterfalls call for that. Nevertheless, Japanese in Japan are as out of touch with their past traditions as are Americans with their's. There is pleasure in knowing the symbolic uses of gardens in Japan and in their transplanted versions in the United States. Gardens in both countries should be more creative as is the case with "California Scenario" by Isamu Noguchi, the last garden Brown describes. (It is popular with skateboarders!) "Japanese-Style Gardens of the Pacific Coast" is a splendid book and the only book extant that gives the historical background of West-Coast Japanese-style gardens. Melva Levick's photographs whet the desire to see the gardens, if for no other reason than to see which is better . . . the photographs or the gardens. A small objection: If Brown had included acreages, one might be better able to compare the problems and successes of the individual gardens.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful work, January 22, 2000

By 

Linda Pellecchia (US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Japanese-Style Gardens of the Pacific West Coast (Hardcover)

This book is one of the few books on US Japanese-style gardens which compares and contrasts the real gardens of Japan with efforts to recreate the essence of their beauty in the western US. Beautiful Photos