Description

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In Japanese gardens, composition follows from placement of the first stone; all elements and plantings become interconnected. These eight essays on Kyoto gardens similarly begin with keen description and build into richly meditative excursions into art, Buddhism, nature, and science. Landscape architect Marc Keane shows how Japanese gardens are both a microcosm of the natural universe and a clear expression of our humanity, mirroring how we think, worship, and organize our lives and communities. Filled with passages of alluring beauty, this is a truly transcendent book about "experiencing" Japanese design.

Marc Peter Keane, a graduate of Cornell University, is an American landscape architect and author. He has lived in Kyoto, Japan, for over 20 years and specializes in Japanese garden design.

About the Author

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Marc Peter Keane: Marc Peter Keane, a graduate of CornellUniversity, is an American landscape architect and author. He has lived inKyoto, Japan, for over 20 years and specializes in Japanese garden design. He is the author of several books about garden design: Japanese GardenDesign (an introduction to the culture and design of Japanese gardens); Sakuteiki: Visions of the Japanese Garden (a translation of Japan's oldest gardeningtext, co-authored with Prof. Jiro Takei), The Art of Setting Stones (acollection of philosophical essays on gardens), and The Japanese Tea Garden(history and aesthetics of Japanese tea gardens). Keane is a fellow at the Research Center for Japanese Garden Art in Kyoto, theEast Asia Program at Cornell University, and the Institute for MedievalJapanese Studies at Columbia University. He has lectured widely throughout theUnited States, England, and Japan. Keane also acted as chairman of Kyoto Mitate International for many years, anon-profit organization that worked to revitalize Kyoto's traditionalenvironments and cultural heritage.