Secret Teachings in the Art of Japanese Gardens: Design Principles, Aesthetic Values by David A Slawson

Secret Teachings in the Art of Japanese Gardens: Design Principles, Aesthetic Values by David A Slawson

The art of the Japanese garden is a 1,500-year-old landscape design tradition that is still evolving, still instructive. Secret Teachings in the Art of Japanese Gardens explains the fundamental principles of this tradition and describes how those principles may be applied to a much wider range of environments than exists in Japan.

In the first section the author draws on his own experience as an apprentice to a master gardener in Kyoto, as well as his considerable knowledge of Japanese classical texts, to present the garden design process in terms of three primary aesthetic considerations:

Scenic effects-reproductions of appealing natural landscape forms.

Sensory effects-varieties of scale, framing, rhythm, motion, and spatial quality.

Cultural effects-the incorporation of allusions to classical literature, poetry, and painting.

The final section comprises a complete translation of a classic gardening manual used by Buddhist monks in medieval Japan. Its rules for planting trees and setting rocks still make good design sense today, and the author includes numerous garden descriptions as examples of how ancient masters practiced their craft.

This clear, authoritative work, fully illustrated with diagrams and photographs, elucidates much about the Japanese compositional sense. But at the same time it is a plea for a more holistic approach to landscape design-a recognition that a garden should conform to certain natural principles as well as meet the emotional needs of those who view it.

David Slawson, MD, Vice Chair of Family Medicine, University of VA Health System in Charlottesville, VA
He is the Director of the Center for Information Mastery and a Professor in the Department of Health Evaluation Sciences. He is the assistant editor for the Journal of Family Practice and on the?editorial board for the Journal of the American Board of Family Practice, the American Family Physician, and the BMJ USA. Dr. Slawson is a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Medicine.

Allen Shaughnessy, PharmD, Clinical Professor of Family Med., Tufts University
He received his degree from the Medical University of South Carolina. He is a Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist and a fellow of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. He is the section editor for the Journal of Family Practice and co-editor of Evidence-Based Practice: POEMs for Primary Care. He has written over 120 papers in the areas of pharmacology and medical information management.

Mark Ebell, MD, is Associate Professor, Department of Family Practice at Michigan State University and Deputy Editor for the American Family Physician. A graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School, Family Medicine residency, and School of Public Health. He is the author or coeditor of?3 books and over 100 articles.

Henry Barry, MD, is Associate Professor and the Sr. Associate Chair, Department of Family Practice, Michigan State University He attended medical school at the University of Maryland and did his residency in Family Practice in Lansing, Mich. Following residency, he spent 4 years in Appalachia with the Nat'l Health Service Corps. He subsequently joined MSU in 1989.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9784770015419
ISBN 10	4770015410
Title	Secret Teachings in the Art of Japanese Gardens: Design Principles, Aesthetic Values
Author	David A Slawson
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Kodansha America, Inc
Year published	1995-12-31
Number of pages	220
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.