The Temples Of Kyoto

Description

The Temples of Kyoto takes you on a journey through these environs and presents twenty-one of these marvelous structures that are unique creations which, while quintessentially Japanese, somehow speak a universal language readily appreciated by people the world over. Donald Richie, called by Time magazine, "the dean of art critics in Japan," turns his attention to these twenty-one temples with scholarship and an eye for the dramatic. Drawing off such classic sources as The Tale of Genji and Essays in Idleness, he takes the reader on a tour through the ages, first with a comprehensive history of Japanese Buddhism, and then by highlighting key events in the development of these "celestial-seeming cities." Brilliant photographs of the temples, taken by the award-winning photographer Alexandre Georges, complement the text and provide a visual overview of the subject matter. His keen eye captures on film the elements that make each temple noteworthy, including their interiors, and objets d'art, in a fresh and thought provoking manner. The result is this book: a testament and meditation on the power and elegance of these world-renowned structures that are both places of worship and examples of the finest art Japan has ever produced.;Cover; Copyright; Contents; Preface; Introduction; The Temples of Kyoto; Enryaku-ji; Ishiyama-dera; Kiyomizu-dera; Mii-dera; Ninna-ji; Daikaku-ji; Byodo-in; Komyo-ji; Kennin-ji; Sennyu-ji; Chion-in; Tofuku-ji; Nanzen-ji; Tenryu-ji; Myoshin-ji; Kinkaku-ji; Ginkaku-ji; Higashi Hongan-ji; Shisen-do; Manshu-in; Enko-ji; Acknowledgments; Bibliography; Back Cover;