Secret Teachings Art of Japanese Gardens: Design Principles, Aesthetic Values

This is an interesting account of Japanese Garden design with an unusual point of view. Instead of the usual discussion of the design principles, elements or influences on garden design, the author discussion is from aesthetic viewpoints. I need to read it again to fully grasp the subject.

This is a wonderful book about the role of perception in garden design. It is also a great book about the intellectual and cultural history of Japanese garden design. It specifically addresses one of my weaknesses as a gardener/designer (how to anticipate the viewer’s gaze) & I’m so glad I bought it.

best book on topic

Packed full of information. It will take several readings to digest, but the principles shared are valuable to those who design Asian gardens.

Beaucoup merci.

I purchased the hardcover of this book in 1988. I read it cover to cover immediately. I used the rock setting techniques described by Slawson "hands on" in my landscape contracting business in Boulder, CO. I found it immensely useful.A number of years passed, nearly four of them spent in graduate architecture school studying formal geometries, history, architecture as a verb.....architecture with a great big capital A.Yet, I did not fully appreciate the book until recently. I dusted it off when I was hired to set 2 semi-truck loads of stones. I reviewed it and found that my studies from it ten years earlier had indeed made an indelible impression upon me. The seemingly daunting task of composing 50 tons of boulders in an aesthetically pleasing manner was made much easier thanks to Slawson's studies. His book was more useful than 3 1/2 years of architecture school. Believe me, read it and get your hands dirty. Work with big stones, the dirt. It is the real work.You will likely find the book "thick" in the sense that at times, each sentence is filled with succinct words. You may find yourself re-reading sentences to understand. Better graphic descriptions could have helped here. In particular the sections comparing Arnheims "Art and Visual Perception" with compositional arrangements, proportions and general japanese garden aesthetics are excellent. It is in these sections where one begins to understand how intelligent japanese garden design is. It fully engages the haptic sense as well as one's psychology.Slawson makes many important notes and observations about the making of Japanese gardens. Yet he also points out that Japanese gardens evolved in Japan because of particular conditions of culture and nature. He points out that the teachings would not necessarily recomend "copying" these teachings in other region with climates different than those of Japan.Slawson gives us an excellent resource to consider Japanese "teachings" in composing gardens, for example, in the desert southwest (USA). A garden influenced by the desert southwest would simply not fit in Japan. Yet, if you make the "teachings" your own you could create a japanese influenced garden.Similarly, many Japanese garden copies in America don't fit. With the exception of the Portland Japanese Garden in Portland, Oregon.I recomend the book because I continue to turn to it year after year. The sign for me of a valuable book.Patrick Healy

I have, over the years, collected a number of books on the art of Japanese Gardens. Most rely on glossy photos and provide very little written content on the complexities of Japanese garden composition. What sets this work apart is its depth and focus on unraveling the underlying design principles and its intent on providing a deeper understanding into the art of Japanese gardening. If you were looking for a purely visual reference I would advise you not purchase this book. If however you were searching for a scholarly study in the design aesthetics of Japanese gardens, I would give this book my strongest recommendation. Slawson begins with his experiences as a master gardener's apprentice in Japan and ends with a full translation of an ancient gardening manual used by Buddhist monks. Each page overflows with background, details and inspiration. He urges and inspires you not to transplant an existing garden design, but gives the reader the foundation to evolve a plan reflective of your own individual location and taste. By clearly dissecting the aesthetic principal behind Japanese garden design, the book succeeds in creating a truly inspirational guide. Have a highlighter and note pad ready from the first page of the acknowledgements to the comprehensive bibliography.

this book has it all for the enthusiast and those interested in a quality production and work of art. the book has beautiful images, beautifully displayed with the correct proportions. the creation and design of the book are superior to others in this category. high quality across the board.

excellent

The quality of the paper matters as it impacts upon images, diagrams and even text. I was shocked by the cheapness . If you are going to produce such poor quality books then price accordingly! Let me further offer that if presentation in a book about design and meaning has no value to the publisher content was also not a concern. Shockingly poor!!