Other editions of book The Book of Tea illustrated

The Book of Tea has served for more than a century as one of the most perceptive introductions to Asian life and thought in English. Publication of the book was a pioneering effort in the cultural bridge-building between East and West. Kakuzo Okakura perceived chanoyu-literally, "the way of tea"-as a form of spiritual culture, a disipline that transforms itself into the Art of Life.In writing of chanoyu, his concern was the broad current of Asian culture flowing eastward from India, and its potential contribution to the culture of all humankind. Buddhism, Taoism, Zen, and Chinese and Japanese aesthetics are discussed, giving voice to traditional Asian values and ideals that had been little recognized in the West. Thus, he sought to convey the spirit of chanoyu as a crystallization of the cultural life of the East.

The Book of Tea was written by Okakura Kakuzo in the early 20th century. It was first published in 1906, and has since been republished many times.In the book, Kakuzo introduces the term Teaism and how Tea has affected nearly every aspect of Japanese culture, thought, and life. The book is accessibile to Western audiences because Kakuzo was taught at a young age to speak English; and spoke it all his life, becoming proficient at communicating his thoughts to the Western Mind. In his book, he discusses such topics as Zen and Taoism, but also the secular aspects of Tea and Japanese life. The book emphasises how Teaism taught the Japanese many things; most importantly, simplicity. Kakuzo argues that this tea-induced simplicity affected art and architecture, and he was a long-time student of the visual arts. He ends the book with a chapter on Tea Masters, and spends some time talking about Sen no Rikyu and his contribution to the Japanese Tea Ceremony. Excerpted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

“Teaism is a cult founded on the adoration of the beautiful among the sordid facts of everyday existence. It inculcates purity and harmony, the mystery of mutual charity, the romanticism of the social order. It is essentially a worship of the Imperfect, as it is a tender attempt to accomplish something possible in this impossible thing we know as life.” ― Kakuzō Okakura, The Book of Tea

'Meanwhile, let us have a sip of tea. The afternoon glow is brightening the bamboos, the fountains are bubbling with delight, the soughing of the pines is heard in our kettle.'In this charming book from 1906, Okakura explores Zen, Taoism, Tea Masters and the significance of the Japanese tea ceremony.One of 46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. Each book gives readers a taste of the Classics' huge range and diversity, with works from around the world and across the centuries - including fables, decadence, heartbreak, tall tales, satire, ghosts, battles and elephants.

Presenting The Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuzō, with an Introduction by Nicholas Tamblyn and Illustrations by Katherine Eglund. This book is part of The Great Books Series by Golding Books and is available both as an eBook and in paperback.The Book of Tea was written in 1906, when Okakura Kakuzō was forty-four and had led a remarkably varied and well-travelled life; in 1913, having worked at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts for a number of years, his unique and important life would come to an end. From Nicholas Tamblyn’s introduction: “Some books are written in exquisite, irresistible prose, and bear an important message about the value of art and living with consciousness of the impermanence, imperfections and incompleteness of life” . . . “The world is always in flux and has the potential to be endlessly troubling given our tentative and challenging time in it, but, ‘Meanwhile,’ as Okakura writes at the end of the first chapter, ‘let us have a sip of tea. The afternoon glow is brightening the bamboos, the fountains are bubbling with delight, the soughing of the pines is heard in our kettle. Let us dream of evanescence, and linger in the beautiful foolishness of things.’”A Japanese tea book in English and a classic of Teaism that is crucial in understanding both the history and ongoing importance of tea more broadly as well as in the particulars of the Japanese tea ceremony and how this relates to new and traditional Eastern and Western art and culture, The Book of Tea is unique if not singular among tea books for tea lovers and will make perfect tea gifts for women and men, and young and old.Okakura Kakuzō (also known as Okakura Tenshin) was born in Yokohama in 1862. His parents were originally from Fukui, his father a former samurai who had relinquished his rank and went on to make his fortune in mercantile affairs. At fifteen Okakura began studies in English, Chinese, literature, and philosophy at the Imperial University in Tokyo. He studied under Harvard-educated professor Ernest Fenollosa, and came to act as his interpreter at lectures and accompanied him on tours of research at temples. Appointed Secretary to the Minister of Education, he then studied fine arts across Europe and the United States as a member of the Imperial Art Commission. On his return, Okakura headed the new Imperial Art School in Ueno, Tokyo, but as Western art was given precedence over traditional Japanese art he resigned and, with a range of prominent artists keen to exemplify the best of native along with Western art, founded the School or Hall of Fine Arts in Yanaka, Tokyo. He was also co-founder, in 1898, of the Japan Art Institute. In 1904, he was invited to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston by Japanese art collector William Sturgis Bigelow and became the first head of the Asian art division in 1910. He would also travel and research throughout China and India, and while his literary output is considerable he remains best known as the author of The Ideals of the East (1903), The Awakening of Japan (1904), and The Book of Tea (1906)—each being written in English to ensure the importance and influence of Asian culture was considered alongside broader discussions of Western and worldwide culture. The Book of Tea is arguably the most eminent treatise on tea written in English. Okakura died in 1913.

'Meanwhile, let us have a sip of tea. The afternoon glow is brightening the bamboos, the fountains are bubbling with delight, the soughing of the pines is heard in our kettle.' In this charming book from 1906, Okakura explores Zen, Taoism, Tea Masters and the significance of the Japanese tea ceremony. One of 46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. Each book gives readers a taste of the Classics' huge range and diversity, with works from around the world and across the centuries - including fables, decadence, heartbreak, tall tales, satire, ghosts, battles and elephants.

The Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuzō (1906) is a long essay linking the role of tea (teaism) to the aesthetic and cultural aspects of Japanese life. Addressed to a western audience, it was originally written in English and is one of the great English tea classics. Okakura had been taught at a young age to speak English and was proficient at communicating his thoughts to the Western mind. In his book, he discusses such topics as Zen and Taoism, but also the secular aspects of tea and Japanese life. The book emphasizes how Teaism taught the Japanese many things; most importantly, simplicity. Kakuzō argues that this tea-induced simplicity affected art and architecture, and he was a long-time student of the visual arts. He ends the book with a chapter on Tea Masters, and spends some time talking about Sen no Rikyū and his contribution to the Japanese tea ceremony. According to Tomonobu Imamichi, Heidegger's concept of Dasein in Sein und Zeit was inspired – although Heidegger remained silent on this – by Okakura Kakuzō's concept of das-in-der-Welt-sein (being-in-the-worldness) expressed in The Book of Tea to describe Zhuangzi's philosophy, which Imamichi's teacher had offered to Heidegger in 1919, after having followed lessons with him the year before.

Presenting The Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuzō with an Introduction by Nicholas Tamblyn and Illustrations by Katherine Eglund. This book is part of The Great Books Series by Golding Books and is available both as an eBook and in paperback.The Book of Tea was written in 1906, when Okakura Kakuzō was forty-four and had led a remarkably varied and well-travelled life; in 1913, having worked at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts for a number of years, his unique and important life would come to an end.From Nicholas Tamblyn’s introduction: “Some books are written in exquisite, irresistible prose, and bear an important message about the value of art and living with consciousness of the impermanence, imperfections and incompleteness of life” . . . “The world is always in flux and has the potential to be endlessly troubling given our tentative and challenging time in it, but, ‘Meanwhile,’ as Okakura writes at the end of the first chapter, ‘let us have a sip of tea. The afternoon glow is brightening the bamboos, the fountains are bubbling with delight, the soughing of the pines is heard in our kettle. Let us dream of evanescence, and linger in the beautiful foolishness of things.’”A Japanese tea book in English and a classic of Teaism that is crucial in understanding both the history and ongoing importance of tea more broadly as well as in the particulars of the Japanese tea ceremony and how this relates to new and traditional Eastern and Western art and culture, The Book of Tea is unique if not singular among tea books for tea lovers and will make perfect unique tea gifts for women and men, and young and old.Okakura Kakuzō (also known as Okakura Tenshin) was born in Yokohama in 1862. His parents were originally from Fukui, his father a former samurai who had relinquished his rank and went on to make his fortune in mercantile affairs. At fifteen Okakura began studies in English, Chinese, literature, and philosophy at the Imperial University in Tokyo. He studied under Harvard-educated professor Ernest Fenollosa, and came to act as his interpreter at lectures and accompanied him on tours of research at temples. Appointed Secretary to the Minister of Education, he then studied fine arts across Europe and the United States as a member of the Imperial Art Commission. On his return, Okakura headed the new Imperial Art School in Ueno, Tokyo, but as Western art was given precedence over traditional Japanese art he resigned and, with a range of prominent artists keen to exemplify the best of native along with Western art, founded the School or Hall of Fine Arts in Yanaka, Tokyo. He was also co-founder, in 1898, of the Japan Art Institute. In 1904, he was invited to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston by Japanese art collector William Sturgis Bigelow and became the first head of the Asian art division in 1910. He would also travel and research throughout China and India, and while his literary output is considerable he remains best known as the author of The Ideals of the East (1903), The Awakening of Japan (1904), and The Book of Tea (1906)—each being written in English to ensure the importance and influence of Asian culture was considered alongside broader discussions of Western and worldwide culture. The Book of Tea is arguably the most eminent treatise on tea written in English. Okakura died in 1913.

This exploration of the Japanese tea ceremony is “a fascinating exposition of Japanese culture and the country’s relationship to the west” (The Guardian). Written in 1906 by “a pivotal figure in trying to make sense out of the clash between Western innovation in Japan and Oriental tradition . . . [The Book of Tea] “presents a unified concept of life, art and nature [and explores] topics related to tea appreciation, including Zen, flower arranging and Taoism” (The Japan Times). The Book of Tea captivated poets including T. S. Eliot and Ezra Pound, and illustrates how the philosophy of Teaism raises tea above the status of mere beverage to cultural touchstone, melding ethics and religion, simplicity and egalitarianism, nature and humanity. It is a way of life and a path toward enlightenment that has stood the test of time over centuries.

'The Book of Tea' by Okakura Kakuzo shows how tea has affected nearly every aspect of Japanese culture, thought, and life. The book is accessible to Western audiences because, though Kakuzo was born and raised Japanese, he was trained from a young age to speak English. In this book he explains tea in the context of Zen and Taoism as well as the secular aspects of Tea and Japanese life. This book emphasizes how Teaism taught the Japanese many things; most importantly, simplicity. Kakuzo argues that this tea-induced simplicity affected Japanese art and architecture. A clear guide to living a simple and fulfilling life.