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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
That a nation should construct one of its most resonant national ceremonies round a cup of tea will surely strike a chord of sympathy with at least some readers of this review. To many foreigners, nothing is so quintessentially Japanese as the tea ceremony--more properly, "the way of tea"--with its austerity, its extravagantly minimalist stylisation and its concentration of extreme subtleties of meaning into the simplest of actions. The Book of Tea is something of a curiosity: written in English by a Japanese scholar (and issued here in bilingual form) it was first published in 1906, in the wake of the naval victory over Russia with which Japan asserted its rapidly-acquired status as a world-class military power. It was a peak moment of Westernisation within Japan. Clearly, behind the publication was an agenda, or at least a mission to explain. Around its account of the ceremony The Book of Tea folds an explication of the philosophy, first Taoist, later Zen Buddhist, that informs its oblique celebration of simplicity and directness--what Okakura calls, in a telling phrase, "moral geometry". And the ceremony itself? Its greatest practitioners have always been philosophers, but also artists, connoisseurs, collectors, gardeners, calligraphers, gourmets, flower-arrangers. The greatest of them, Sen Rikyu, left a teasingly, maddeningly simple set of rules: "Make a delicious bowl of tea; lay the charcoal so that it heats the water; arrange the flowers as they are in the field; in summer suggest coolness; in winter, warmth; do everything ahead of time; prepare for rain; and give those with whom you find yourself every consideration." A disciple remarked that this seemed elementary. Rikyu replied, "Then if you can host a tea gathering without deviating from any of the rules I have just stated, I will become your disciple." A Zen reply. Fascinating. --Robin Davidson
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
."..The best introduction to Oriental life and perception in English." --TEA A Magazine
"The Book of Tea is beautifully designed and will make an excellent small gift, especially since tea has become fashionable." --New Age Retailer
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
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First Sentence
Tea began as a medicine and grew into a beverage. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Tea began as a medicine and grew into a beverage. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
Having read `The book of tea' through three times so far I have to say its use of language is beautiful and its take on the west intriguing. It's a fusion of history, poetry and gives the reader a glimpse into the Japanese art of life. The book of tea offers a refreshing take on the drink and the culture; and encourages the reader to appreciate the beauty of the simple and beautiful. The books age has added to its charm; would recommend it to anyone.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
Even though this book was written ages ago, it is very relevant to our modern hectic lifestyle. Reading the book was a pleasure and it made me aware of the power of tea. Now, tea has become a major part of my life and coupled with Za-Zen gives me a lot of peace. I would recommend this book.
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This little booklet, written in 1906, is still one of the absolute classics on the Japanese tea ceremony. This essay about Japanese culture as it is epitomized in the "way of tea" (chadō) also served as an apology for Eastern traditions at large to the Western world. Okakura was a practitioner, art critic and connoisseur, and a collaborator of Fenellosa and his circle, who introduced Japanese art in the United States. Although detailed technical information about the ceremony is avoided, the latter's historical background as well as its relation to Japanese attitudes, Zen, Tao, art and art appreciation are treated in a suggestive and essayistic vein. The way of tea appears as a "moral geometry" embodying particular values than a particular set of beliefs. There is, thus, a "philosophy of tea", at least in the sense that the practice of tea wholly constitutes a "form of life".
The book was written in a graceful, clear and precise English, which is in itself a remarkable feat.
Amateurs of the way of tea should combine this reading with more detailed studies such as Sadler's, Shositsu Sen's and Horst Hammitzsch's, or the academic and up to date study by Jennifer Anderson.
The book was written in a graceful, clear and precise English, which is in itself a remarkable feat.
Amateurs of the way of tea should combine this reading with more detailed studies such as Sadler's, Shositsu Sen's and Horst Hammitzsch's, or the academic and up to date study by Jennifer Anderson.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Time out
This is a beautiful and gentle book - it almost feels as though you are sharing a cup of (perfectly made) tea with the author in a tea garden such as he describes. Read more
Published 22 days ago by greenthumb
Very imformative
The language used it beautiful, poetic in parts, and has made me look at tea in a whole new light.
Published 2 months ago by JLea
Book of Tea
I thought this might be interesting but it is not. It provides little useful information on tea, its types and uses but is big on the religious background to tea. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Ron
Lovely book
This is an unusual book written at the turn of the century and gives lovely insight into a different culture and how our culture was viewed at the time. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Anne
go with the flow
I spotted this in passing looking for another Japanese author. Seeing the high rating I decided to give it a go, although I usually drink coffee. Read more
Published 3 months ago by DalekCity
such an amazing read
It's such a warm and beautiful book. Easy to read, yet it invites to stop and think. Absolutely beautiful read, worth reading every time you long for peace and time with your inner... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Giedre
What a book!
I wasn't sure what to expect from 'The Book of Tea', but I was so pleasantly surprised. It is beautifully written, and thoroughly fascinating. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Val
It's so good it needs to be read at least twice...
...and the second time it should be read slowly, calmly, carefully to enjoy all the flavours this simply complex little big book has to offer.
Published 8 months ago by Guy Beauchamp
It changed me...
First, it is written in a beautiful language, more rare these days, making you feel like you hold a treasure in your hands - and you do! Read more
Published 10 months ago by Belle Among Vikings
Beyond the book of tea
This is a most delightful book for anybody who is interested in Japanese esthetics, inherent in their traditional art of living. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Suzy
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