The Hidden Gardens of Kyoto

Photographs by Katsuhiko Mizuno

The "hidden gardens" of one of the world's great historic cities are not easily seen. They are off the beaten track and often in private or official hands.

In “The Hidden Gardens of Kyoto,” photographer Katsuhiko Mizuno presents all the main types of Japanese garden design. First comes the pond garden, which on the grandest scale can be a match for the lake-wood-and-meadow parks of Western estates.

Then there is the dry landscape garden. Featuring gravel, rocks and moss, they have an austerity that is far removed from most Westerners’ idea of a garden. And yet, the purpose of this design impresses dignity with its meditative tranquility.

And finally, there is the tea garden, whose scrupulous simplicity belies great sophistication in the arrangement of its few components — evergreen hedges and trees, threshold and guest stones and lanterns.

Katsuhiko Mizuno and book's author, Masaaki Ono, capture little known elements of Japanese gardening. They explain why no flowers bloom in the tea garden — and why its paths are seldom straight.

With these details, Mizuno and Ono give readers a new appreciation of the traditional Japanese garden. Perhaps the most intriguing detail of “The Hidden Garden of Kyoto” is knowing that the gate into these gardens — which might otherwise be closed — is, in these pages, open to us all.

Katsuhiko Mizuno — Photographer

Katsuhiko Mizuno, born in Kyoto in 1941, graduated from Doshisha University and the Tokyo College of Photography. His camera has been focused on his historic hometown since 1969.

In 2000, he renovated a Kyoto townhouse which is said to date from the latter half of the Edo period. He converted it into a museum housing his photographic works.

Mr. Mizuno has published over 110 books, including the English-language “Landscapes for Small Spaces,” which won a Gold Medal in the Foreword 2002 Book of the Year Awards.

Masaaki Ono — Author

Masaaki Ono, born in Nara in 1947, also graduated from Doshisha University. After studying garden design under the distinguished and influential Mirei Shigemori, he opened his own design office.

Among his many projects have been gardens at Seirenji, Jotokuin and Shojokein temples, as well as those he designed for teahouses, inns and private residences.