Visionary Landscapes: Japanese Garden Design in North America, The Work of Five Contemporary Masters

Japanese garden history dates back 15 centuries. National examples include Kenroku-en and Shinjuku Gyoen, and elements of both have become iconic in garden design. In his detailed, reflective introduction, Brown (Asian art history, California State Univ., Long Beach; Quiet Beauty: The Japanese Gardens of North America) describes this artistic transfer as universal art, pointing out that their claiming by such a vast audience separated from both culture and place has defused meaning to the point that Japanese-style gardens are now understood as ones based on a range of aesthetic values, rather than a garden of or in Japan. By examining the work of contemporary gardeners Hoichi Kurisu, Takeo Uesugi, David Slawson, Shin Abe, and Marc Keane in gardens across the U.S., Brown highlights modern garden philosophies and practices. Chapters offer an overview of the gardener and a descriptive tour of multiple garden examples, stressing aesthetic and atmospheric choices while being grounded in biography and craft.