Katsura: Imperial Villa 
asked by stonefox on November 15, 2006 7:34 AM
This book presents a detailed history of Katsura, the 17th century Imperial Palace in Kyoto, Japan that is a pivotal work of Japanese Architecture, often described as the "quintessence of Japanese taste." First revealed to the modern architectural world by Bruno Taut, the great German architect, in the early 20th century, Katsura stunned and then excited the architectural community of the West. Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius, pillars of the Modernist establishment, were fascinated by Katsura's "modernity." They saw in its orthogonal and modular spaces, devoid of decoration, clear parallels to contemporary Modernism, going so far as to proclaim Katsura a "historical" example of Modernity. This book documents the palace in detail, combining newly commissioned photographs, detailed drawings, archival material and historical analysis.
Reviews
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For anyone who's never been exposed to Japanese culture,
this is surely a book to start. Yes, Japanese have Kabuki;
yes, they have Geisha; yes, they have Samurai; yet, in architecture,
they have Katsura! Katsura is to Japan, what Alhambra is to Andalusia!
It's the apex of art and it's the eye of typhoon (in terms of its
magnitude of influence).
Here is an art that tells us, "the whole is eternally greater
than the parts." Katsura is an art of water body formation; it's
an art of island formation; it's an art of positioning pavilions
in relation to the water-earth formation; it's an art of laying stone
paving/bridges/lanterns to infinitely multiply the frames of views;
it's an art of emptying buildings to have gardens flow in and out; it's
an art of perfecting the shoji screens and combing the thatched roofs
to convey the light and deliver the sense of subtleties; it's an art of
naming the places and tea pavilions to arouse imagination; it's art of
gardening (color+texture+forms); etc, etc, etc. Combined together, the
density of experience exponentially grow to challenge infinitum.
The parts are orchestrated in such a way to arouse the art of seduction.
Not in a flamboyant manner, but in a subtly simple manner. The seduction
of Katsura stands on tripod skills; the art of veiling, the art of
thirsting and, and the art of addicting. Photographic images in the book
are more than enough to tell us the multi-faceted seductive story about
Katsura. The book will make you go to Kyoto and it will make you a fan
of Japan (and hopefully to Korea and China).
Isozaki's nicely written essay enhances the experience of Kasura to
philosophical level. He has intentionally placed his viewpoint in
contrast to the earlier writers such as Bruno Taut/ Sutemi Horiguchi/
Kenzo Tange. The essay sets the curatorial tone of the images.
The book also provides the hidden dimension of buildings. By providing
field-measured drawings, readers will be able to analyze quintessential
element of plans and sections of traditional buildings. Five past
writings of world-class architects and critics are also part of
publication.
this is surely a book to start. Yes, Japanese have Kabuki;
yes, they have Geisha; yes, they have Samurai; yet, in architecture,
they have Katsura! Katsura is to Japan, what Alhambra is to Andalusia!
It's the apex of art and it's the eye of typhoon (in terms of its
magnitude of influence).
Here is an art that tells us, "the whole is eternally greater
than the parts." Katsura is an art of water body formation; it's
an art of island formation; it's an art of positioning pavilions
in relation to the water-earth formation; it's an art of laying stone
paving/bridges/lanterns to infinitely multiply the frames of views;
it's an art of emptying buildings to have gardens flow in and out; it's
an art of perfecting the shoji screens and combing the thatched roofs
to convey the light and deliver the sense of subtleties; it's an art of
naming the places and tea pavilions to arouse imagination; it's art of
gardening (color+texture+forms); etc, etc, etc. Combined together, the
density of experience exponentially grow to challenge infinitum.
The parts are orchestrated in such a way to arouse the art of seduction.
Not in a flamboyant manner, but in a subtly simple manner. The seduction
of Katsura stands on tripod skills; the art of veiling, the art of
thirsting and, and the art of addicting. Photographic images in the book
are more than enough to tell us the multi-faceted seductive story about
Katsura. The book will make you go to Kyoto and it will make you a fan
of Japan (and hopefully to Korea and China).
Isozaki's nicely written essay enhances the experience of Kasura to
philosophical level. He has intentionally placed his viewpoint in
contrast to the earlier writers such as Bruno Taut/ Sutemi Horiguchi/
Kenzo Tange. The essay sets the curatorial tone of the images.
The book also provides the hidden dimension of buildings. By providing
field-measured drawings, readers will be able to analyze quintessential
element of plans and sections of traditional buildings. Five past
writings of world-class architects and critics are also part of
publication.
reviewed by nexus on November 16, 2006 6:20 AM
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I have been to Katsura several times, and have several books on Katsura villa, and this new book is the best.
This is how architectural books should be produced and photographed so other architects and people interested in architecture can actually learn and use the book not only as a beautiful catalog but as a tool.
The beautiful photographs are architecturally photograhed in 1 point perspective except for details, gardens, and exterior. This is helpful as you can deduct the proportion and scale of the rooms. Most of the drawings have measurements, and are very well drawn.
The introduction and text by Isozaki is excellent for understanding Katsura and Japanese architectural idealogy. Additionally, there are several past texts by Tange, Taut, Gropius, and etc. to get different perspectives.
Katsura, along with several temples and villas have been meticulously maintained for the last 400 years.
This is how architectural books should be produced and photographed so other architects and people interested in architecture can actually learn and use the book not only as a beautiful catalog but as a tool.
The beautiful photographs are architecturally photograhed in 1 point perspective except for details, gardens, and exterior. This is helpful as you can deduct the proportion and scale of the rooms. Most of the drawings have measurements, and are very well drawn.
The introduction and text by Isozaki is excellent for understanding Katsura and Japanese architectural idealogy. Additionally, there are several past texts by Tange, Taut, Gropius, and etc. to get different perspectives.
Katsura, along with several temples and villas have been meticulously maintained for the last 400 years.
reviewed by shirley49 on November 28, 2006 2:05 AM