Zen Gardens: The Complete Works of Shunmyo Masuno, Japan's Leading Garden Designer
Shunmyo Masuno occupies a singular position in the world of landscape architecture. An 18th-generation Zen Buddhist priest who presides over daily rituals at Yokohama's Kenkoji Temple, he is also Japan's most respected garden designer, equally at home shaping grounds for ultramodern city hotels and restoring celebrated classical spaces. For Masuno, the two vocations are inseparable. Every project he touches becomes, in his own words, 'a special spiritual place where the mind dwells.' This richly illustrated volume, featuring over 400 photographs and drawings, is the first full retrospective of his work to appear in English. It's a substantial collection, presenting 37 significant gardens from across the globe, spanning temple courtyards and corporate campuses, private residences and public plazas, rural retreats and dense urban settings. Masuno's international profile has grown considerably in recent years, and the book includes his first American commission, completed in 2011. The contents are arranged into three chapters covering traditional Zen gardens, contemporary interpretations, and projects outside Japan. Each garden receives careful written analysis from author Mira Locher, an architect with deep knowledge of Japanese culture, who brings both technical understanding and genuine sensitivity to her commentary. What lifts this book beyond a straightforward monograph is its broader ambition. It functions, quietly but effectively, as a guide to understanding Japanese garden design, how to look at these spaces, what to notice, and even how to attempt one yourself. Much like the gardens it documents, it rewards slow, attentive reading.
- Author: Mira Locher
- Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
- Genre: Architecture
- ISBN: 978-4805311943
- Pages: 224 pages