Author(s): Stephen Mansfield

Gardens/Garden Design

No two Japanese gardens are ever the same. Each is inimitable, yet embodies commonalities of design and aesthetic taste. Each finds the space for innovation within a tradition that benefits from a thousand years of applied knowledge. "Japan's Master Gardens" explores the ingenuity and range of Japanese landscaping, from the self-imposed confines of courtyard designs to the open expanses of the stroll garden. "Japan's Master Gardens" illustrates how, through the ministrations of generations of gardeners, original landscapes have maintained their mastery and demonstrates how contemporary landscaping draws from tradition, making ancient gardens relevant to the lives of people in the twenty-first century. This beautifully illustrated book takes readers on an exploration of the outward forms, underpinning principles, complex use of metaphor and allusion, and beauty and depth that set the Japanese garden apart.