Name: The Book of Tea
Rating: 3.826086956521739 (46 reviews)
ISBN: 9781429012799

Kakuzou Okakura

Written in English by a Japanese scholar in 1906, ""The Book of Tea"" is an elegant attempt to explain the philosophy of the Japanese Tea Ceremony, with its Taoist and Zen Buddhist roots, to a Western audience in clear and simple terms. One of the most widely-read English works about Japan, it had a profound influence on western undertsanding of East Asian tradition.

The Book of Tea

Okakura Kakuzo

Now available in a gorgeous hardcover slipcase edition, this "object d'art" will be sure to add grace and elegance to tea shelves, coffee tables and bookshelves. A keepsake enjoyed by tea lovers for over a hundred years, The Book of Tea Classic Edition will enhance your enjoyment and understanding of the seemingly simple act of making and drinking tea. In 1906 in turn-of-the century Boston, a small, esoteric book about tea was written with the intention of being read aloud in the famous salon of Isabella Gardner, Boston's most famous socialite. It was authored by Okakura Kakuzo, a Japanese philosopher, art expert, and curator. Little known at the time, Kakuzo would emerge as one of the great thinkers of the early 20th century, a genius who was insightful, witty—and greatly responsible for bridging Western and Eastern cultures. Okakura had been taught at a young age to speak English and was more than capable of expressing to Westerners the nuances of tea and the Japanese Tea Ceremony. In The Book of Tea Classic Edition 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. Kakuzo argues that tea-induced simplicity affected the culture, art and architecture of Japan. Nearly a century later, Kakuzo's The Book of Tea Classic Edition is still beloved the world over, making it an essential part of any tea enthusiast's collection. Interwoven with a rich history of Japanese tea and its place in Japanese society is poignant commentary on Asian culture and our ongoing fascination with it, as well as illuminating essays on art, spirituality, poetry, and more. The Book of Tea Classic Edition is a delightful cup of enlightenment from a man far ahead of his time.

The Book of Tea Classic Edition

sani

“Those who cannot feel the littleness of great things in themselves are apt to overlook the greatness of little things in others.”

i didn't expect a nonfiction book to be so beautiful? (only because i'm very new to the genre) the way the author talked about tea, flowers, Taoism, zennism, it was so profound. AND he did not play about hating the west. how immaculately he criticised them needs to be studied because i absolutely loved it. 

might delve deeper into the genre now!

Leila

Wenny

Reads like a dream. Indeed small is the cup of human enjoyment, that the contemplation of the imperfect can overflow the soul so, if one would just stop and smell the tea.

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.

Sabrina D. 

Ignore the outdated racist language from the introduction/afterward author. Found the author facts the only things really useful from the intro. Also, I see this book in no means as “an apology” as stated on the back. Get that western thought out of here, book editor lol. 

Safiya 

Despite the naive reproaches the he author draws to the western civilisation, it is a valuable gem, as far as it concerns Teaism, Ikebana, and architecture. There's in fact no depiction of the tea ceremony, only the "theoretical framework" from which it originated. The whole paragraphs are embellished by Japanese poetry that captures the delicate beauty of the humble Japanese art.

Takeda no Komori Uta : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tq5jt...

Kakuzō Okakura

Jeremy Jones

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/769/769-h/769-h.htm

For a generation adjusting painfully to the demands of a modern industrial and commercial society, Asia came to represent an alternative vision of the good life: aesthetically austere, socially aristocratic, and imbued with spirituality. The Book of Tea was originally written in English and sought to address the inchoate yearnings of disaffected Westerners. In a flash of inspiration, Okakura saw that the formal tea party as practiced in New England was a distant cousin of the Japanese tea ceremony, and that East and West had thus �met in the tea-cup.�

Ilse

As an avid lover of many a type of tea, the title was enough to lure me into checking the description. I went into it completely blind, without knowing who Okakura Kakuzō was, and found myself really liking it. It's a beautiful and thoughtful work about art, philosophy, teaism and Taoism and many more things. I'd definitely recommend you give it a read if these topics interest you!

Tournelune

It was wonderful to be captivated by this wonderful hymn adressed to the tea, the simplicity of beautiful things and the art and appreciation of nature. Many beautiful ideas remained in my heart, definitely one of my favorite books!

'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

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