Shunmyo Masuno; Japans leading garden designer; is at once Japans most highly acclaimed landscape architect and an 18th-generation Zen Buddhist priest; presiding over daily ceremonies at the Kenkoji Temple in Yokohama. He is celebrated for his unique ability to blend strikingly contemporary elements with the traditional design vernacular. He has worked in ultramodern urban hotels and in some of Japans most famous classic gardens. In each project; his work as a designer of landscape architecture is inseparable from his Buddhist practice. Each becomes a Zen garden; "a special spiritual place where the mind dwells."This beautiful book; illustrated with more than 400 drawings and color photographs; is the first complete retrospective of Masunos work to be published in English. It presents 37 major gardens around the world in a wide variety of types and settings: traditional and contemporary; urban and rural; public spaces and private residences; and including temple; office; hotel and campus venues. Masuno achieved fame for his work in Japan; but he is becoming increasingly known internationally; and in 2011 completed his first commission in the United States which is shown here.Zen Gardens; divided into three chapters; covers: "Traditional Zen Gardens;" "Contemporary Zen Gardens" and "Zen Gardens outside Japan." Illustrated with photographs and architectural plans or sketches; each Zen garden design is described and analyzed by author Mira Locher; herself an architect and a scholar well versed in Japanese culture.Celebrating the accomplishments of a major; world-class designer; Zen Gardens also serves as something of a master class in Japanese garden design and appreciation: how to perceive a Japanese garden; how to understand one; even how to make one yourself. Like one of Masunos gardens; the book can be a place for contemplation and mindful repose.
#1263274 in eBooks 2012-10-14 2012-10-14File Name: B00AHFJ8TW
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Elizabeth Streb; action movement genius.By maggie boeppleElizabeth Streb; the genius behind Streb; the company; describes how she moved from being a dancer to testing the limits of a human body through movement and choreography. Having seen the joyful company in action made me want to understand her and how she came to this point. A must read for all Streb fans around the world.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. FascinatingBy AnonymousFascinating. Streb took the road less traveled. I enjoyed her story.2 of 7 people found the following review helpful. ?By Michael SilverwiseI found it hard to read... so I put it down and havent had the strength to pick it back up.