Product Description

Japanese gardens have long been admired for their capacity to improve on nature through impeccable design, detail and composition, properties that elevate them from mere gardens to sacred spaces. Infinite Spaces is a remarkable reflection of the Japanese garden, drawing on extracts from the Sakuteiki—an eleventh-century text that distills centuries of garden design—and pairing them with inspiring images from Sadao Hibi, one of Japan’s best-known photographers.
Praise for the hardcover edition:
"Pairs quotations from an ancient writing, the Sakuteiki, on garden design with exquisite photos that illuminate the words. This book should leave a gardener serene, refreshed and inspired-in other words, in the right frame of mind to contemplate another growing season."-Knight Ridder Newspapers

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #458705 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

Review
"Pairs quotations from an ancient writing, the Sakuteiki, on garden design with exquisite photos that illuminate the words." -- Knight Ridder Newspapers

"The photos in this newest volume would intrigue even the most avid devotees of such gardens." -- Landscape Architecture Magazine

From the Inside Flap

About the Author
Joe Earle is the Former Keeper of the Far Eastern Department of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and has published extensively on traditional and contemporary Japanese art and culture.

Sadao Hibi has had his work published in more than fifty books on Japan’s landscapes, architecture, art, design and gardens.

Customer Reviews

Great photos but very little Sakuteiki
This is a better than average coffee-table book about Japanese Gardens. The photos are for the most part excellent (a few are too dark). Many of the gardens shown are located outside of the Kyoto area and have seldom if ever been shown in other such (English language) books on this subject; this is a nice touch because it means that there is little overlap between this book and others. I had high hopes that the book would include a substantial (if not complete) translation of the Sakuteiki but despite the introduction which implies that this might be the case, it is not true. I would guess that less than 25% of the text of Sakuteiki is included, and the authors have rearranged the material into thematic sections to fit their own taste. This is a terrible pity becuase the 11th century gardening manual known by the name "Sakuteiki" is a very important point of reference in understanding the historical developement of Japanese gardens - sections from it are quoted by almost every book written on the subject, yet there is no generally available English translation of it. The 1976 translation by Shigemaru Shimoyama (publ. by Town & City Planners,Inc. Tokyo) was printed in a tiny edition of only 300 copies so the only way to read it is by borrowing a copy thru the academic inter-library loan program at your local public library. The way the authors of this book have rearranged the text into disjointed quotations (with widely varying typographic style & presentation) really does not do justice to the orginal material and is in considerable danger of reinforcing the old western stereotype of "pearls of wisdom from the inscrutable orient". I would suggest that you buy this book for the pictures alone and not pay too much attention to the text as currently presented. If the book is popular enough to merit a 2nd edition I hope the authors will reconsider the current format.

Incredible photography!
The photos are so luscious--I can't think of a more appropriate term--that it's as if you're in these gardens. I believe all of the photos are of the ancient gardens in Kyoto, and if not, they're definately all from Japan. This book is truly one that was inspired by the Sakuteki, not an illustrated edition of the Sakuteki. You'll want it for dreamy page turning, not as an instruction book for your own gardens.

Very Inspiring
Infinite Spaces is lean on the commentary and abundant in beautiful full color photos displaying a wide variety of magnificent Japanese gardens. Some are from temples and others from private properties. This is not a repetitive book that displays the same Kyoto gardens like many that have been published.

While some are from Kyoto, Eric Miller's review suggests most of the gardens are located around Kyoto. This is not accurate at all. In fact, what's so incredible about this book is the authors traveled virtually the whole country and shot incredible gardens the whole length of Japan. Gardens are documented from the following regions: Nara, Shiga, Tottori, Ehime, Yamaguchi, Nagano, Nagoya, Tokushima, Yamagata, Tokyo, Ishikawa, Shizuoka, Fukuoka, Mie, Kumamoto, Wakayama, Iwate, Aomori, Yamanashi, Fukui, Niigata, Aichi, Kanagawa, and Gifu.

Awesome! Tons of great inspiration here. I highly recommend it.