Book of Tea: Beauty, Simplicity and the Zen Aesthetic

by Okakura Kakuzo, Liza Dalby

Overview

Written over a century ago when Japan was abandoning its rich traditions to embrace the hysteria of colonization, this classic written by Okakura Kakuzo helped preserve the masterpieces of Japanese art and culture by illuminating the spirit of the Japanese Tea Masters.

The Book of Tea doesn't focus on the Tea Ceremony itself, but the Zen Buddhist thought behind it known as the Way of Tea or Chado.

Kakuzo teaches us to listen to the language of flowers as well as the language of art.

His considerable charm is as apparent today as it was one hundred years ago as he introduces us to the aesthetic and culture of Japan.

This edition has a new foreword by Andrew Juniper who runs the Wabi-Sabi Art Gallery in West Sussex, England and an introduction by Liza Dalby, the first American woman to be fully trained as a geisha in the 70's.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781462904396
Publisher:	Tuttle Publishing
Publication date:	01/31/2012
Series:	NONE
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
File size:	10 MB

About the Author

Okakura Kakuzo was born near Tokyo and learned English in his infancy, refining his linguistic skills at the Institute for Foreign Studies in Tokyo. Later he went on to study Oriental Arts at the Tokyo Imperial University. Okakura lived in America for several years where he served as Curator of the Department of Chinese and Japanese art at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. He was instrumental in the acquisition of much of that museum's exemplary collection of Eastern art.

Foreword to the Original Edition by:
Elise Grilli lived and worked in Tokyo for many years. She was an art critic for the Japan Times and published several books on Japanese art including Golden Screen Paintings of Japan and Japanese Picture Scrolls.

New Foreword by:
Andrew Juniper lives in West Sussex, England where he runs the Wabi-Sabi Art Gallery. He also works as a translator for UK and Japanese government bodies.

New Introduction by:
Liza Dalby is an author and anthropologist who, in the 1970s, became the first American woman to become fully trained as a geisha. Her publications include Geisha and the novel The Tale of Murasaki.

Table of Contents

Foreword 9

Foreword To The 1956 Edition 15

Introduction 23

The Cup Of Humanity 32

The Schools of Tea 46

Taoism And Zennism 60

The Tea Room 76

Art Appreciation 94

Flowers 106

Tea Masters 122

Okakura Kakuzo A Biographical Sketch 131

Notes On The Illustrations 146

Editorial Reviews

"In some ways, times haven't changed much in the 99 years since Kakuzo Okakura, the Japanese aesthete, gifted the local elite of Boston with his now-legendary explication of the beauties of the tea ceremony, The Book of Tea." —Elle Decor

"Originally written to be read aloud by the author at Isabella Stewart Gardner's famous salon in 1906, the book focuses on the culture that has engendered the mind of tea and on the Masters who embody this spirit." —Gourmet Retailer

"Transcending the narrow confines of its title, presents a unified concept of life, art and nature. Along the way exploring topics related to tea appreciation, including Zen, flower arranging and Taoism. An early cultural activist, Okakura's mission was to preserve Japanese art and aesthetic practices from an extinction that seemed imminent." — Stephen Mansfield, The Japan Times

"While on the surface, the book is about tea and the way of tea…it is much more than that. It is also about the higher aspects of Japanese culture, like Zen, samurai and history…for those seeking to go deeper into the refinements of Japanese culture, this is a book I would recommend as required reading, whether a person drinks tea or not." —Teas.com.au

"Now in paperback with a new foreword and new photographs, The Book of Tea is a classic work by Okakura Kakuzo that has inspired many generations of readers by illuminating the underlying spirit and message of the venerable Japanese tea masters." —Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher