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Infinite Spaces: The Art and Wisdom of the Japanese Garden
Based on classical Japanese writings, this Zen gardening book is full of insightful commentary and lush photographs.
Japanese gardens have long been admired for their capacity to improve on nature through impeccable design, detail, and properties that elevate them from mere gardens to sacred spaces. The Sakuteiki, literally "notes on garden design," by the eleventh-century courtier and poet Tachibana no Toshitsuna laid out the original principles that shaped the design of these gardens. A distillation of centuries of garden design, the Sakuteiki remains a vital influence for garden makers in Japan today.
Infinite Spaces pairs extracts from the Sakuteiki with inspiring images that beautifully illustrate the principles of this ancient work. Sadao Hibi's superb photographs capture some of Japan's best-known gardens—from austere compositions in stone and gravel to richly planted landscapes. The photographs express the extraordinary beauty and diversity of one of the world's most ancient and revered styles of gardening. Discover a treasure trove of practical advice and philosophical insight on building and maintaining pools, lakes, and streams; arranging stones for the most natural and harmonious effect; and designing water features and placing stones to welcome auspicious deities while excluding malevolent influences.
Japanese gardening topics This timeless visual artistry of the gardens and the specific design techniques will inspire you to create magnificent garden sanctuaries in your own backyard.
Japanese gardens have long been admired for their capacity to improve on nature through impeccable design, detail, and properties that elevate them from mere gardens to sacred spaces. The Sakuteiki, literally "notes on garden design," by the eleventh-century courtier and poet Tachibana no Toshitsuna laid out the original principles that shaped the design of these gardens. A distillation of centuries of garden design, the Sakuteiki remains a vital influence for garden makers in Japan today.
Infinite Spaces pairs extracts from the Sakuteiki with inspiring images that beautifully illustrate the principles of this ancient work. Sadao Hibi's superb photographs capture some of Japan's best-known gardens—from austere compositions in stone and gravel to richly planted landscapes. The photographs express the extraordinary beauty and diversity of one of the world's most ancient and revered styles of gardening. Discover a treasure trove of practical advice and philosophical insight on building and maintaining pools, lakes, and streams; arranging stones for the most natural and harmonious effect; and designing water features and placing stones to welcome auspicious deities while excluding malevolent influences.
Japanese gardening topics This timeless visual artistry of the gardens and the specific design techniques will inspire you to create magnificent garden sanctuaries in your own backyard.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 24, 2020
I read this short ebook in hopes of understanding how Japanese gardens are designed, and hoping to see some interesting illustrative photos. This didn't really hit the mark. The text was mostly snippets of ancient texts, I guess, about how to design gardens, mostly by feel. One piece of advice I recall is that if you use rock that has fallen from a mountain that has landed wrong side up, keep using it wrong side up. There are dozens of seemingly flip suggestions here like that. I was also disappointed in the photos. I would expect to see multiple photos illustrating the sections of the book, which were divided by features (rock, water flow, trees, etc.). However, the photos didn't seem to illustrate the features being described, nor the advice being offered. And the gardens shown were typically one photo, where an idea of how the features look from different perspectives would have been quite valuable. Another issue was that the pictures in the ebook version were dull and grainy. Not my favorite.
September 27, 2020
I was struck by the beauty of these tranquil photographs somehows. A garden setting such as stone arrangement, water flow direction, etc deeply reflects Eastern philosophy. Every stone carries deeper, hidden meanings and contributes something to overall effect.
"The mound symbolizes the ruler, the earth his subjects and the water his ministers. Water flows where the mound dictates but if the mound is unstable, it wil be washed away by the water, symbolizing a weak ruler being deposed by his subjects. The mound supported by stones will stable against water as the ruler is protected by his ministers."
"Ponds should be shallow. Deep ponds allow fish to grow too big and turn into poisonous bugs."
"The mound symbolizes the ruler, the earth his subjects and the water his ministers. Water flows where the mound dictates but if the mound is unstable, it wil be washed away by the water, symbolizing a weak ruler being deposed by his subjects. The mound supported by stones will stable against water as the ruler is protected by his ministers."
"Ponds should be shallow. Deep ponds allow fish to grow too big and turn into poisonous bugs."
June 20, 2021
mostly i wanted to see pretty pictures of gardens, which i definitely got :) i know i didn’t internalize much if the teachings from this, but it was interesting to read of the type of intentionality with which people interact with and change the environment around them. my fave chapter was probably the stone one because it was the easiest for me to see what they were really meaning and also the karesansui! i liked the idea of faux natural gardens and it’s kinda funny the whole imitation of nature while you’re clearly just mimicking something natural idk
July 31, 2018
It was short, but worth it. If you spend time understanding all the quotes and looking at the photos at the same time, you start to transcend into a state of peacefulness. You can then see the meaning of every single detail and it's purpose of it's placement: every rock, tree, pond... To make things short, it was a nice and pleasuring read.
October 7, 2020
There are some beautiful gardens in here and I love how the garden ideas are in the form of wisdom. My favourite gardens to try and visit next time are:
Momojidani Garden, Wakayama
Sento Gosho Palace, Kyoto
Kenrokuen Garden, Ishikawa
Saihoji Temple (the Moss Temple), Kyoto
Kongorinji Temple, Shiga
Saiokuji Temple, Shizuoka
Shinnyoin Shrine, Kyoto
Momojidani Garden, Wakayama
Sento Gosho Palace, Kyoto
Kenrokuen Garden, Ishikawa
Saihoji Temple (the Moss Temple), Kyoto
Kongorinji Temple, Shiga
Saiokuji Temple, Shizuoka
Shinnyoin Shrine, Kyoto
March 31, 2019
There's a lot of really good pictures and information in this book.
There's a ton of "rules" for good and bad luck that I actually would have never considered or known about without reading this book.
I really enjoyed it.
There's a ton of "rules" for good and bad luck that I actually would have never considered or known about without reading this book.
I really enjoyed it.
July 9, 2019
Beautiful picture book of 125+ pages with wonderful quotes of antiquity and contemporary and essays to explain Japanese gardens. Fascinating and enlightening.
October 12, 2020
Let’s face it. We only look at these books for the pictures.
March 17, 2022
The original Sakuteiki is too cumbersome to read. This is a nice condensed version with pictures to see the applications in real life.
June 4, 2023
Lovely photos with quotes from perhaps the oldest garden text in the world, 11th century Japanese Sakuteiki.
June 12, 2016
This book is an absolute gem.
I love Japanese gardens. I'm no gardener though and this is not a gardening book.
It's based on the work of a Japanese garden designer, Tachibana no Toshitsuna, which was written around 1290. Small sections of this work are written down and illustrated by gardens that showcase those design principles. Many of these (temple) gardens are in Kyoto, of course, so having been there in March 2014, it was a wonderful journey for me.
Even if garden design as such isn't yours, the images and the presentation make it a fantastic read for anyone interested in Japanese gardens.
I love Japanese gardens. I'm no gardener though and this is not a gardening book.
It's based on the work of a Japanese garden designer, Tachibana no Toshitsuna, which was written around 1290. Small sections of this work are written down and illustrated by gardens that showcase those design principles. Many of these (temple) gardens are in Kyoto, of course, so having been there in March 2014, it was a wonderful journey for me.
Even if garden design as such isn't yours, the images and the presentation make it a fantastic read for anyone interested in Japanese gardens.
March 22, 2010
I was happy to have a good edition of the Sakuteki to read at the same time. This book illuminated the ideas of the Sakuteki, and having a complete Sakuteki provided a context for the snippets of text that accompanied the lovely photos.
October 16, 2016
Beautiful photography... more of a coffee table book though than a guide
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews