Kyoto Gardens

Kyoto Gardens ISBN-13: 978-4-8053-1321-3 Imagine varied landscapes of rocks and plants, empty spaces and intimate details that meld the sensuality of nature with the disciplines of cosmology, poetry and meditation! In Kyoto’s unique gardens, these elements provoke thought and delight in equal measure. Japanese aristocrats created the gardens to display not just wealth and power, but cultural sensitivity and an appreciation for transcendent beauty. A class of professional gardeners eventually emerged, transforming Japanese landscape design into a formalized art. Today, Kyoto’s traditional gardens display an enormous range of forms—from the extreme minimalism of rock gardens, to the luscious proportions of stroll gardens. Kyoto Gardens is a labor of love from master photographer Ben Simmons and Kyoto-based writer Judith Clancy. Simmons’ photographs present a fresh and contemporary look at Kyoto’s most important gardens. Their beauty is enhanced and humanized by gardeners tending the grounds using the tools of their art. Clancy’s graceful text provides historic, aesthetic and cultural context to the gardens. Combining wonder and rigor, she describes how Kyoto’s most beloved gardens remain faithful to their founders’ creative spirit and conception. Journey to Kyoto’s thirty gardens with just a turn of a page, or use the handy maps to plan your trip.