Japanese Garden Design (Hardcover)

~ Marc Peter Keane (Author), (Author) "Gardens are an expression of our relationship to the natural world..." (more)
Key Phrases: tsubo gardens, shinden residences, outer roji, Zen Buddhism, Pure Land, The Tale of Genji (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

A landscape architect and garden designer working in Japan, Keane here offers a history of the Japanese garden over 20 centuries, showing how society, politics, religion, art, and the tea ceremony have contributed to the structure and elements of these beautiful retreats. He also includes chapters on design principles and techniques, explaining, for instance, how individual aspects such as rock, sand, plants, and bridges embody the symbolism of the gardens. This comprehensive book includes not only excellent full-color photography but detailed plans of the various types of gardens. An extensive glossary, a bibliography of books in English and Japanese, and numerous maps are also offered. The text concludes with a timetable mapping the evolution of the garden alongside events in Japanese culture and world history. Recommended for public and academic libraries.?Phillip Oliver, Univ. of North Alabama Lib., Florence
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Once introduced to Japan's aesthetic sensibilities and philosophical underpinnings, Westerners often develop an appreciation of Japan's traditional gardens. Keane's handsome, explanatory survey, however, offers garden lovers who simply fail to see beauty in Japanese landscapes a rich resource for comprehending this ancient art form. Beautifully written descriptions illuminate historical development, religious and societal associations, and relationships between garden design and other Japanese arts. And Keane's great affinity with his subject, after immersion in Japanese life and the creation of gardens in Japan, affords him the ability to reveal countless subtleties in the acclaimed gardens pictured. In this fascinating commentary, Keane, a thoroughly engaging, insightful observer, clarifies the essence of what occurs when the elements of Japanese design intermingle to form a near perfect realm. Alice Joyce

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing; 1st edition (March 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804820716
• ISBN-13: 978-0804820714
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #788,413 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

125 of 126 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A treasure for anyone interested in Japanese Gardens, January 28, 2000

By	DAMwriter "David Moore" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

Confession: I didn't actually buy this book, I borrowed it from the library. Why am I telling you this? Because this will mark the first time, ever, that I've gone out and purchased a copy of a book for myself once I've read it for free. Normally, once I've read a book I put it up on the shelf or return it to the lender, never to crack it open again (with the exception of a few reference books). This time will be different.

Oh, I do have a few quibbles with the book. The author includes a number of interesting endnotes, most of which could have easily been incorporated into the text itself so a reader doesn't have to flip back-and-forth. And for some reason, some of the notes seem to be ill-placed; in some cases you'll come to a footnote, read it, only to have that bit of information captured in a subsequent paragraph of the main text. Another problem is the occasional editing mistake - words out of order, words left in that were clearly meant for deletion (maybe that's the printer's fault), and a misspelling here and there.

But, these are minor points. I have worked as a volunteer tour guide at a Japanese Garden in a local botanic garden, and I have never seen a single book that so eloquently and completely captured the subject of Japanese garden design: its history, its development in the context of Japanese cultural, social and religious history, its fundamental principles, even the language that is used to describe its various aspects. It is a well-rounded, clearly-written primer on the meaning and use of these gardens.

It is NOT a how-to book; readers looking for instructions at the level of, "Place rock here, spread a bit of moss on the east-southeast side," will find themselves disappointed. As the author states repeatedly, Japanese garden design is not about decoration, plant lists or specific positioning of elements. Those things make a garden "Japan-esque". What he does is teach you - in condensed fashion - what the garden masters taught for generations: learn the principles, understand the meanings attached to the structure and design of Japanese gardens, emulate the best of what you see, and then create your garden with your own personal stamp and the materials available to you.

Because of this philosophy, because of the beauty of the photographs, and because of the information this book contains, I will refer to it again and again as I create my own Japanese garden at home.

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Focus on Japanese aesthetics as well as gardening, January 28, 1998

By	Chris Cochrane (Richmond, VA USA) - See all my reviews

The book concisely uses gardens and aesthetic terms as vehicles to better understand both. Keane's insight into changes of aesthetic focus in different historical periods is clearly constructed. It enhances the reader's insight into further studies of Japanese aesthetics, gardening or history. Readers of Makoto Ueda, Sen'ichi Hisamatsu et al. on Japanese aesthetics will be particularly rewarded with a simple structure for considering complex terms that they expose in more detail. As a garden book, it rates a "9"... as an introduction to Japanese aesthetics, it is clearly a "10"... as a unique perspective on Japanese history, it stands alone. While others have said most of what Keene notes, none have integrated it so well. The beauty of the garden book, aside from its text, is exceptional. One could only wish that the pictures were in a larger format.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo Mr. Keane!, March 14, 2001

By	Robert Moorhouse (Homestead, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This is one of the best non-fiction selections I've ever encountered. It does justice to its esteemed topic, both in its superb photographic selections and its rich and highly informative text. Far more than a mere coffee table book, Mr. Keane's solid understanding and sensitive insight have created a work which I refer to often in my own gardening ventures. I cannot recommend this book more highly.