The Book of Tea

by Kakuzo Okakura

Overview

Minor classic of the Orient. Perhaps the most entertaining, most charming explanation and interpretation of traditional Japanese culture in terms of the tea ceremony. Introduction, notes by E. F. Bleiler. "Provocative and entertaining, this edition is particularly pleasing in format." — Guide to Asia Paperbacks.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780486200705
Publisher:	Dover Publications
Publication date:	06/01/1964
Edition description:	Unabridged
Pages:	96
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Kakuzo Okakura was born in 1862 in Yokohama, Japan. In 1890, Okakura was one of the principal founders of the first Japanese fine-arts academy, Tokyo Bijutsu Gakko (Tokyo School of Fine Arts) and a year later became the head, though he was later ousted from the school in an administrative struggle. Later, he also founded the (Japan Art Institute) with Hashimoto Gaho and Yokoyama Taikan. He was invited by William Sturgis Bigelow to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 1904 and became the first head of the Asian art division in 1910. He died in 1913.

Table of Contents

I The Cup of Humanity 14

Tea ennobled into Teaism, a religion of aestheticism, the adoration of the beautiful among everyday facts-Teaism developed among both nobles and peasants-The mutual misunderstanding of the New World and the Old-The Worship of Tea in the West-Early records of Tea in European writing-The Taoists' version of the combat between Spirit and Matter-The modern struggle for wealth and power

II The Schools of Tea 46

The three stages of the evolution of Tea-The Boiled Tea, the Whipped Tea, and the Steeped Tea, representative of the Tang, the Sung, and the Ming dynasties of China-Luwuh, the first apostle of Tea-The Tea-ideals of the three dynasties-To the latter-day Chinese Tea is a delicious beverage, but not an ideal-In Japan Tea is a religion of the art of life

III Taoism and Zennism 86

The connection of Zennism with Tea-Taoism, and its successor Zennism, represent the individualistic trend of the Southern Chinese mind-Taoism accepts the mundane and tries to find beauty in our world of woe and worry-Zennism emphasises the teachings of Taoism-Through consecrated meditation may be attained supreme self-realisation-Zennism, like Taoism, is the worship of Relativity-Ideal of Teaism a result of the Zen conception of greatness in the smallest incidents of life-Taoism furnished the basis for aesthetic ideals, Zennism made them practical

IV The Tea-Room 128

The tea-room does not pretend to be other than a mere cottage-The simplicity and purism of the tea-room-Symbolism in the construction of the tea-room-The system of its decoration-A sanctuary from the vexations of the outer world

V Art Appreciation 178

Sympathetic communion of minds necessary for art appreciation-The secret understanding between the master and ourselves-The value of suggestion-Art is of value only to the extent that it speaks to us-No real feeling in much of the apparent enthusiasm to-day- Confusion of art with archaeology-We are destroying art in destroying the beautiful in life

VI Flowers 208

Flowers our constant friends-The Master of Flowers-The waste of Flowers among Western communities-The art of floriculture in the East-The Tea-Masters and the Cult of Flowers-The Art of Flower Arrangement- The adoration of the Flower for its own sake-The Flower-Masters-Two main branches of the schools of Flower Arrangement, the Formalistic and the Naturalesque

VII Tea-Masters 240

Real appreciation of art only possible to those who make of it a living influence-Contributions of the Tea-Masters to art-Their influence on the conduct of life-The Last Tea of Rikiu

Interviews

"It (Teaism) insulates 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."

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

"This 1906 treatise, written by Kakuzo Okakura for a western audience keen to educate themselves in eastern art and custom, details the Japanese tea ceremony and the "teaist" movement stemming from it. A blend of Zen Buddhism and Taoism, teaism used the ancient tea ceremony to foster mental discipline and a kinship with nature that would, it was hoped, lead to enlightenment. The Book of Tea became a central text in the orientalist movement of the early 1900s, and captivated poets like Eliot and Pound."

The Guardian