Zen Gardens: The Complete Works of Shunmyo Masuno, Japan's Leading Garden Designer

Description

This beautiful book, illustrated with more than 400 photographs and drawings, is the first full retrospective of his work to be published anywhere. It includes 37 gardens in a wide variety of types and settings: traditional or contemporary, urban or rural, in public spaces or private residences, and for temples, office buildings, hotels, campuses, or guesthouses. The book, 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 garden is described and analysed by author Miriam Locher, herself an architect and a scholar well versed in Japanese culture.

Mira Locher is an architect and professor who works in the U.S. and Japan. She studied at Smith College before receiving her Master of Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania. After working for Team Zoo Atelier Mobile in Japan for seven years, she set up an architectural practice in the U.S. with Takayuki Murakami. Mira Locher is Dean of the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Manitoba (Canada). She is the author of Super Potato Design, Zen Gardens and Zen Garden Design.

"Locher's stunning presentation highlights 37 master gardens in Japan and abroad (including in the U.S.) that embody a transcendent marriage between the primal elements of nature and metaphysics. [...] With 320 color photos and designs, Locher captures the mystery and mastery of Masuno's work." --Publishers Weekly, Starred Review "This showcase of the work of Japanese garden designer Shunmyo Masuno marries clear exposition of the designer's philosophy with drop-dead gorgeous color art." --Publishers Weekly, 2012 Best Book, Gardening "Zen Gardens endorses a spiritual approach to the process of garden design, whereby the design and its inherent aesthetic qualities are allowed to grow from the place, rather than being imposed on it. Illustrated with more than 400 drawings and color photographs, this book is a wonderful source of inspiration for creating beautiful, contemplative landscapes."-- Garden Design Journal