Songs in the Garden: Poetry and Gardens in Ancient Japan

Songs in the Garden: Poetry and Gardens in Ancient Japan
Author :
Publisher : Mpk Books
Total Pages : 258
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0615603386
ISBN-13 : 9780615603384
Rating : 4/5 (86 Downloads)

Synopsis Songs in the Garden: Poetry and Gardens in Ancient Japan by : Marc Peter Keane

The garden as a poem. Not simply a beautiful design to be appreciated by looking, but a living poem that can actually be read. That is the way gardens were thought of in Japan during the Heian period (794-1185). In that ancient society, a detailed understanding of poetry was an essential part of life for people in the literate classes. Poetic anthologies were learned by heart and all manner of communications either included poems or were interwoven with references to poetry. A central aspect of Heian-period poetry was that it employed images of nature as symbols of human emotions. A lonely pine tree on a windswept, rocky seashore evoked the bitter sadness of someone waiting for their lover. A scene of cut reeds, fallen and scattered this way and that, was a standard epithet to express unsettled, scattered emotions.When gardens were built, many of those same elements of nature - pines and reeds and so many more - were also incorporated into the designs. When gardens were viewed, they were understood not simply as objects of visual beauty, but as being filled with allegorical meanings drawn from poetry. These visual cues triggered in the minds of people in the garden the memory of poems they knew, and acted as catalysts in the creation of new ones. The word for poem, uta, was the same as that for song, and poems at that time were often sung or chanted, rather than spoken. In this way, the poetic elements were like songs in the garden.The author, Marc Peter Keane, is well-known both as a garden designer and writer. Having lived 18 years in Kyoto, Japan, he brings ample first hand knowledge to the subject. Songs in the Garden not only describes the nature of gardens in Japan 1000 years ago, but also suggests a new paradigm for understanding what gardens can mean to us today.

The Reason for Flowers

The Reason for Flowers
Author :
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Total Pages : 352
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781476755540
ISBN-13 : 147675554X
Rating : 4/5 (40 Downloads)

Synopsis The Reason for Flowers by : Stephen Buchmann

“Fascinating...Buchmann’s knowledge and enthusiasm jump off the page.” —The Wall Street Journal “An extraordinarily good book.” —Edward O. Wilson The lively and definitive story of the beauty, sexuality, lore, economics, and ecology of the world ’s flowers, written by a devoted scientist and illustrated with his stunning photographs. Flowers—and the fruits they often become—feed, clothe, and inspire us. Indeed, they have done so for all of human history. Yet although we use flowers to celebrate important occasions, to express love, and to please our senses, we know little about them, their functions in nature, or even how we depend on them. In a volume that will delight gardeners, naturalists, cooks, artists, or anyone interested in history or culture, pollination ecologist Stephen Buchmann serves as an expert guide through the fascinating world of flowers. He explains how other species relate to flowers in ways crucial to the natural world. Next he takes us on an engaging exploration of the roles flowers play in the production of food, spices, medicines, and perfumes. Flowering plants, Buchmann then shows, have long served as inspirational themes in art and literature. Flowers have in fact so thoroughly seduced us that we now buy some ten million a day, driving breeders to create infinite varieties and unusual blooms. In this cultural and natural investigation of floral history, Stephen Buchmann’s masterful narrative illuminates just why there is, indeed, a reason for flowers.

Sound Worlds of Japanese Gardens

Sound Worlds of Japanese Gardens
Author :
Publisher : transcript Verlag
Total Pages : 219
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9783839425688
ISBN-13 : 3839425689
Rating : 4/5 (88 Downloads)

Synopsis Sound Worlds of Japanese Gardens by : Michael D. Fowler

Michael D. Fowler presents an interdisciplinary approach to investigating the sound world of traditional Japanese gardens by drawing from the diverse fields of semiotics, acoustic ecology, philosophy, mathematical modelling, architecture, music, landscape theory and acoustic analysis. Using projects - ranging from data-visualisations, immersive sound installations, algorithmically generated meta-gardens and proto-architectural form finding missions - as creative paradigms, the book offers a new framework for artistic inquiry in which the sole objective is the generation of new knowledge through the act of spatial thinking.

Japanese Garden Design

Japanese Garden Design
Author :
Publisher : Tuttle Publishing
Total Pages : 762
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781462905966
ISBN-13 : 146290596X
Rating : 4/5 (66 Downloads)

Synopsis Japanese Garden Design by : Marc P. Keane

This book, filled with gorgeous photographs, explains the theory, history, and intricacies of Japanese gardening. The creation of a Japanese garden combines respect for nature with adherence to simple principles of aesthetics and structure. In Japanese Garden Design, landscape architect Marc Peter Keane presents the history and development of the classical metaphors that underlie all Japanese gardens. Keane describes the influences of Confucian, Shinto and Buddhist principles that have linked poetry and philosophy to the tangible metaphor of the garden in Japanese culture. Creative inspiration is found in the prehistoric origin of Japanese concepts of nature; the gardens of Heian aristocrats; the world-renowned Zen garden, or rock garden; the tea garden; courtyard garden; and stroll garden. Detailed explanations of basic design concepts identify and interpret the symbolism of various garden forms and demonstrate these principles in use today in Japanese landscape architecture. Topics include: Design Principles Design Techniques Design Elements Godspirit in Nature Poetry in Paradise The Art of Emptiness Spiritual Passage Private Niches A Collector's Park

Japan's Master Gardens

Japan's Master Gardens
Author :
Publisher : Tuttle Publishing
Total Pages : 508
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781462908523
ISBN-13 : 1462908527
Rating : 4/5 (23 Downloads)

Synopsis Japan's Master Gardens by : Stephen Mansfield

"While very attractive visually, this is no mere coffee table book. A wealth of knowledge and information is put across in an instructive yet highly readable fashion. The attention to detail is thoughtful, from the map inside the front cover to the font used in the titles. This book offers both intellectual and visual appeal to any reader, whether familiar with Japanese gardens or new to their aesthetic and traditions. --Garden Design Magazine"

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Library of Congress Subject Headings
Author :
Publisher :
Total Pages : 1516
Release :
ISBN-10 : UCBK:C094878466
ISBN-13 :
Rating : 4/5 (66 Downloads)

Synopsis Library of Congress Subject Headings by : Library of Congress

Noguchi East and West

Noguchi East and West
Author :
Publisher : Univ of California Press
Total Pages : 368
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0520083407
ISBN-13 : 9780520083400
Rating : 4/5 (07 Downloads)

Synopsis Noguchi East and West by : Dore Ashton

An art history professor and author or editor of 30 books on art and culture maps the life of Japanese-American sculptor and designer Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) and his spiritual journey, both in the events of his life and in the milestones of his art--the sculptures, gardens, public spaces, and stage decors that gained force and significance from Noguchi's double heritage. Photographs.

Garden History: A Very Short Introduction

Garden History: A Very Short Introduction
Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Total Pages : 185
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780191004179
ISBN-13 : 0191004170
Rating : 4/5 (79 Downloads)

Synopsis Garden History: A Very Short Introduction by : Gordon Campbell

Gardens take many forms, and have a variety of functions. They can serve as spaces of peace and tranquilty, a way to cultivate wildlife, or as places to develop agricultural resources. Globally, gardens have inspired, comforted, and sustained people from all walks of life, and since the Garden of Eden many iconic gardens have inspired great artists, poets, musicians, and writers. In this Very Short Introduction, Gordon Campbell embraces gardens in all their splendour, from parks, and fruit and vegetable gardens to ornamental gardens, and takes the reader on a globe-trotting historical journey through iconic and cultural signposts of gardens from different regions and traditions. Ranging from the gardens of ancient Persia to modern day allotments, he concludes by looking to the future of the garden in the age of global warming, and the adaptive spirit of human innovation. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Library of Congress Subject Headings
Author :
Publisher :
Total Pages : 1688
Release :
ISBN-10 : UOM:39015079817048
ISBN-13 :
Rating : 4/5 (48 Downloads)

Synopsis Library of Congress Subject Headings by : Library of Congress. Cataloging Policy and Support Office

The Flowers and Gardens of Japan

The Flowers and Gardens of Japan
Author :
Publisher : Lulu.com
Total Pages : 234
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781304068552
ISBN-13 : 1304068552
Rating : 4/5 (52 Downloads)

Synopsis The Flowers and Gardens of Japan by : Florence Du Cane

IT is safe to assert that no other country has such a distinctive form of landscape gardening as Japan. In English, French, Italian, and Dutch gardens, however original in their way, there are certain things they seem all to possess in common: terraces, which originally belonged to Italian gardens, were soon introduced into France; clipped trees, which were a distinctive feature of Dutch gardens, were copied by the English; the fashion of decorating gardens with flights of stone steps, balustrades, fountains, and statues at one time spread from Italy throughout Europe; and possibly the over-decoration of gardens led to a change in taste in England and a return to a more natural style.