The Gardens of Japan

Review by Sir Hugh Cortazzi

This is not a guide to Japanese gardens, nor is it a history of Japanese gardens. It consists of photographs with brief descriptions of selected gardens.  The photos are well and artistically taken, but as there are only a few for each garden covered they inevitably do no more than show limited aspects of particular gardens. Anyone who wants some nice pictures of Japanese gardens as a souvenir of a visit to Japan may enjoy this book which would be a good addition to their pile of coffee table books. But it is not a necessary addition to a library of books about Japan and the

serious student of Japanese gardens can find many publications which provide a better coverage of the art and design of gardens in Japan.

The most famous park-type gardens, the sankei [三溪園], namely Kairakuen [偕楽園] in Mito, Kenrokuen [兼六園] in Kanazawa and Kōrakuen [後楽園] in Okayama plus the Ritsurin-kōen [栗林公園] in Takamatsu are represented, but of the famous gardens of Tokyo only the Higashi-gyōen [東御苑] is covered in the book. This is a pity as there are other Japanese gardens in Tokyo well worth visiting.

There are so many wonderful gardens in Kyoto that any selection is likely to leave out favourites, but it is puzzling that among the imperial gardens only the Katsura Rikyū [桂離宮] is covered with six photos (it needs a whole book to do anything like justice to it). The Shūgakuin [修学院離宮庭園], the Sentō gosho [仙洞御所] and the imperial palace gardens are not included.  While Enshū Kobori [小堀 遠州] is mentioned as a famous garden designer no mention is made of the famous painter Sesshū [雪舟 等楊] who is said to have designed the garden of Sesshūji within the precincts of Tōfukuji.  Some of my favourite gardens in Kyoto such as the garden of the Chishakuin [智積院], introduced to us by the late Sir John Figgess, the garden of the fabulous Hiunkaku [飛雲閣] in Nishi-Honganji, the Shōrenin garden [青蓮院], very close to the Miyako Hotel are not listed and have not been photographed for this book. Perhaps the saddest omission   (and top of my list) is the delightful Shisendō [詩仙堂] which the late Sir John Pilcher introduced to the Prince of Wales, whose favourite Kyoto garden it is said to be.