The Book of Tea

by Okakura Kakuzo, Gian Carlo Calza (Translator)

Overview

The Book of Tea (1906) by Okakura Kakuzō has long become a classic. Its title notwithstanding, the book is not a manual on tea. Rather it is an essay, better a hymn, to culture, aesthetics and the spirit of tea as a symbol, a paradigm, of the Asian soul. It was created by a passionate Japanese scholar whose life was devoted to renew and spread the values of the East in the same moment in which his own country seemed to deny them in order to embrace Western culture. This new edition has an important apparatus of over 200 notes to explain the contents of the book and supply all the information needed to understand it fully (concepts of Eastern philosophy, history, geography, biographical information), something that so far has never been done. It also contains an important essay by Giancarlo Calza on Okakura and his role to foster intercultural understanding and the development of spirituality through the aesthetics and practice of the tea ceremony as a style of life. Contents: The Cup of Humanity; The Schools of Tea; Taoism and Zennism; The Tea-room; Art Appreciation; Flowers; Tea-masters; Okakura: A Life in Style by Giancarlo Calza

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9788833670560
Publisher:	Officina Libraria
Publication date:	03/14/2022
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	4.80(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Gian Carlo Calza is a leading authority in Japanese art and aesthetics. He was a professor of Asian Art History at Ca' Foscari University of Venice and director of the International Hokusai Research Centre in Milan. His books and catalogues on Japan have been published in various languages. Among the most important of them are: L'incanto sottile del dramma no (1975, 1983), Hokusai Paintings (1994), Tanaka Ikko (Phaidon, 1997), Japan Style (2002, Phaidon 2006) Hokusai 1999, (Phaidon 2003), Ukiyo-e (Phaidon, 2006), Hiroshige (2009); Poem of the Pillow and Other Stories (Phaidon, 2010).

Okakura Kakuzō (1863-1913) was a Japanese art critic and scholar who had a great influence on our understanding of Japanese culture. Together with Ernest Fenollosa, an American professor at Tokyo Imperial University, he was instrumental in defending Japan's traditional art forms which, during the Mejii period, were put in peril by modernisation and the new political structure which severed Buddhist temples from state protection. After setting up a fine arts school based on tradition, and travelling throughout Japan to study its art, he frequently travelled to Asia and the United States. At the turn of the century he became curator of the Oriental Art department of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Several of his books were written directly in English: among them The Ideals of the East (1903), The Awakening of Japan (1904), and The Book of Tea (1906).

Table of Contents

The Cup of Humanity; The Schools of Tea; Taoism and Zennism; The Tea-room; Art Appreciation; Flowers; Tea-masters; Okakura: A Life in Style by Giancarlo Calza

Editorial Reviews

Kakuzo was a leading figure in Japanese art and culture at the end of the 19th century, and this book, first published in 1906, is a classic treatise explicating the philosophical nuances of tea and the tea ceremony in Japanese culture. This edition contains an introduction by Liza Dalby who was the first American trained as a Geisha in the 1970s, and elegant photos by Daniel Proctor. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

"A beautiful work of art in tribute to a beautiful work of art." — Norwood Pratt, San Francisco


"For those of us who, for years, have loved and been influenced by Okakura's prose and philosophy, this new edition brings fresh insight and clarity to the work. With sensitivity, admiration and profound appreciation for Okakura, Bruce Richardson unravels the complex and intriguing story that lies behind the original Book of Tea. All tea lovers will treasure this beautiful and valuable work." — Jane Pettigrew, London


"I had read about Okakura and visited the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, but never realized the importance of the relationship between the two and how they embodied the bridge between East and West. Nor, until now, had I taken the time to read the entire book. How I wish that I had read it before I visited Japan where I learned that 'Zen is another word for tea.' The chapter titled The Cup of Humanity contains a sentence that seems ripped from today’s headlines, 'The heaven of modern humanity is indeed shattered in the Cyclopean struggle for wealth and power… Meanwhile, let us have a sip of tea.' I’m resisting the urge to swallow this book whole, and forcing myself to savor it one cup of tea at a time." — Elizabeth Knight, author of Tea with Friends

From the Publisher