The Book of Te

Okakura Kakuzo's The Book of Tea (茶の本) is an essay linking the role of tea (Teaism) to the aesthetic and cultural aspects of Japanese life. Though Kakuzo was born and raised Japanese it was written in English and is one of the great English Tea classics. In The Book of Tea he discusses 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. 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. Okakura was a Japanese scholar who contributed to the development of arts in Japan. Outside of Japan, he is chiefly remembered today as the author of The Book of Tea.