Katsuhiko Mizuno

A lovely photography book about a certain kind of traditional Japanese garden: they're smaller and typically occur in courtyards within or between buildings. The photographs do an excellent job of conveying the sensibility and traditions of this particular garden type, and they cover a wide range of types, from stark or refined palace gardens and monastery gardens of gravel and rock to lush and relatively crowded private gardens of merchant houses, and all sorts of permutations and variations of location and style. I appreciated that the photographer did not always present the most accessible views of the gardens shown--for example some shots showed gardens covered in snow so that it took some effort to discern the garden's qualities. Each photograph is accompanied by a caption about the garden's location, some of its components, and notable qualities or features.

There is some introductory text as well as an epilogue describing how the author, who is also a designer of Japanese gardens, created one of the gardens shown in the book. I found myself wanting, if anything, a bit more text all around, but then again the photos were so interesting that I didn't want less of them, either.

The topic itself is fascinating and interesting, especially to me as a native of a culture where environment and building are kept much more separate than in traditional Japanese architecture. The very idea of a guest room or hallway that opens directly onto a courtyard, lush and filled with trees and plants, is foreign literally and emotional, but deeply appealing too. I can't get enough of reading about it.

Finally, I enjoy the cover of this book so much that I have had it propped up on my dressed for a couple weeks now.… (meer)