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The Book of Tea Paperback – June 1, 1964

4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 3,231 ratings

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Kakuzo Okakura, who was known in America as a scholar, art critic, and Curator of Chinese and Japanese Art at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, directed almost his entire adult life toward the preservation and reawakening of the Japanese national heritage — in art, ethics, social customs, and other areas of life — in the face of the Westernizing influences that were revolutionizing Japan around the turn of the century.
This modern classic is essentially an apology for Eastern traditions and feelings to the Western world — not in passionate, oversentimental terms, but with a charm and underlying toughness which clearly indicate some of the enduring differences between the Eastern and Western mind. Okakura exhibits the distinctive "personality" of the East through the philosophy of Teaism and the ancient Japanese tea ceremony. This ceremony is particularly revelatory of a conservative strain in Japanese culture; its ideals of aesthetic tranquility and submission to the ways of the past find no parallel in the major cultural motifs of the West.
Not only does he discuss the tea ceremony and its rigid formalities, and the cult and patterns of belief surrounding tea and tea-drinking, but Okakura also considers religious influences, origins, and history, and goes into the importance of flowers and floral arrangements in Japanese life — their proper appreciation and cultivation, great tea-masters of the past, the tea-room with its air of serenity and purity, and the aesthetic and quasi-religious values pervading all these activities and attitudes.
Okakura's English style was graceful, yet exceptionally clear and precise, and this book is one of the most delightful essay-volumes to the English language. It has introduced hundreds of thousands of American readers to Japanese thinking and traditions. This new, corrected edition, complete with an illuminating preliminary essay on Okakura's life and work, will provide an engrossing account for anyone interested in the current and central themes of Oriental life.
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dover Publications (June 1, 1964)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 76 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0486200701
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0486200705
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1190L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.25 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 3,231 ratings

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4.1 out of 5 stars
3,231 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book easy to read and interesting. It provides them with quality information about tea and its rituals. The writing style is described as beautiful and eloquent. Readers appreciate the timeless dissertation on the nature of tea, ranging from its history to its preparation. They also find the art perspective fascinating and an excellent introduction to Asian aesthetics. Overall, customers appreciate the simplicity of the text and the elegant explanations of elegance and simplicity within the tea ceremony.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

188 customers mention "Readability"170 positive18 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it interesting, with a nice cover and a good summary of tea. The writing is refined and graceful, covering topics like philosophy, the meaning of art, nature, flowers, relationships, and poetic works about a beautiful ceremony.

"...It can easily be a spiritual, life-giving experience. “If people of inferior intelligence hear of the Tao, they laugh immensely...." Read more

"...It’s a pretty neat, quick, read if you have any interest in Eastern Philosophy / Religion...." Read more

"...Even great arts like pottery, textile designing, cooking, serving, painting etc were linked to the involvement of the tea masters of the Orient –..." Read more

"...buy this book to learn about tea but to feel peace, and it did that beautifully. This one I’m keeping." Read more

177 customers mention "Information quality"154 positive23 negative

Customers find the book informative and engaging. It provides a guide through the history of tea and related philosophies. The prose conveys the significance of green tea in a way that doesn't require extensive reading. Readers appreciate the details involved in a tea ceremony and find the book insightful into the philosophy of drinking tea and its impact on Japanese culture.

"...It can easily be a spiritual, life-giving experience. “If people of inferior intelligence hear of the Tao, they laugh immensely...." Read more

"...in 1906, Okakura’s ‘Book of Tea’ espouses that tea is the foundation for a system of life, a philosophy, and it’s associated benefits all conspire..." Read more

"I love this book! It is not only a guide through history of tea, but a guide through the history of humanity, history of the relation between..." Read more

"...and Ming, this drink was highly prized for possessing the virtues of relieving fatigue, delighting the soul, prevent drowsiness, strengthening the..." Read more

50 customers mention "Writing style"41 positive9 negative

Customers appreciate the book's writing style. They find the prose beautiful and eloquent, with an amazing insight into the differences between East and West. The author beautifully weaves stories about tea, flower arrangements, and painting as portals into the book. Some readers mention that the language is great and some quotes are pure gems.

"...The way it is written is poetic but it is still showing what the main differences between East and West are and how we are unable to understand the..." Read more

"Welcome to the elegance of tea-ism. Weaving beauty with simplicity, I have much to learn from Japanese culture...." Read more

"...This little book takes you through the history, the philosophy, the poetry, and the religion of tea...." Read more

"...It is not a long book, but it is well written and quite witty, so sit back, relax, and enjoy it...." Read more

38 customers mention "History"38 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's history and facts about tea. They find it a timeless dissertation on its nature and preparation, turning history into continuity. The stories and facts are interesting and relatable to humanity. Readers describe the book as relevant in the modern world and easy to read.

"First off, not really about tea. It's an overview of the history and philosophy of China and Japan through talking about tea...." Read more

"...It is not only a guide through history of tea, but a guide through the history of humanity, history of the relation between East and West and its..." Read more

"...This little book takes you through the history, the philosophy, the poetry, and the religion of tea...." Read more

"...The book discusses various aspects of tea, ranging from its history to its preparation...." Read more

22 customers mention "Art perspective"22 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's art perspective fascinating. They say it provides an excellent introduction to Asian aesthetics, with beautifully described images. The book offers a gentle illumination of teaism and its spiritual aspects.

"...The tea ceremony's I have been involved in are certainly rich, simple, peaceful experiences, it has a similar effect as yoga on mind and body...." Read more

"...benefits all conspire to bring together that which is fundamental, holistically and spiritually...." Read more

"...how we are unable to understand the beauty of the moment, the beauty of present time, which is in the center of the tea ceremony...." Read more

"...I especially liked the pages about art appreciation." Read more

9 customers mention "Simplicity"9 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's simplicity. They find the text clear and easy to understand, with explanations of elegance and simplicity within tea ceremony. The book is described as poetic and prosaic for those who cherish the art.

"...The tea ceremony's I have been involved in are certainly rich, simple, peaceful experiences, it has a similar effect as yoga on mind and body...." Read more

"...were linked to the involvement of the tea masters of the Orient – simplicity and naturalistic being the catchwords...." Read more

"...culture, a history of tea, explanations of elegance and simplicity within tea ceremony, merging yin and yang, and getting the West and East to..." Read more

"Prosaic and wonderfully poetic tome for those who cherish the Art of etiquette and of comfort...." Read more

8 customers mention "Gift value"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a good gift for tea lovers. They say it's fun to read and provides a recipe for bliss with each cup of tea.

"...unknown to the west but found not one blend but certainly a receipe for greater bliss, rapture with each cup...." Read more

"...It is as current today as when he first wrote it. It is a great xmas gift and I give it regularly to friends I love and care about." Read more

"great as a gift for a tea lover" Read more

"...A GREAT GIFT FOR TEA LOVERS AND FUN TO READ" Read more

8 customers mention "Pacing"5 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing. Some find it refreshing and refreshing, with the merging of yin and yang, and how Asia can be a peaceful continent respectful of nature. Others feel it's a little dry.

"...also, where it grew to be an excuse for the worship of purity and refinement...." Read more

"...I'm really into tea itself, but I found this a little dry. if you go in expecting lots of history, maybe you'll appreciate it more." Read more

"...explanations of elegance and simplicity within tea ceremony, merging yin and yang, and getting the West and East to understand one another...." Read more

"Beauty, Peace, & Harmony. All very important virtues, especially for our day and times...." Read more

A cultural guide to a tea-drinker
5 out of 5 stars
A cultural guide to a tea-drinker
I am not a huge fan of Sado (or Chanoyu by a Sen family), or any other name. But drinking ‎three cups of tea a day is my routine. Was curious to know what the book published 100 ‎years ago was like, and found it had many archaic terms like Teaism, Asiatics, "with too ‎much tea," Yellow Peril, Hojo-Tokiyori or Japanese Haroun-Al-Raschid (sic). How ‎changed the world has become in a century! -for good.‎The book started with a heavy items like humanity: Charles Lamb‎, Thackeray all that. But ‎the following chapters taught me a lot of about things Japanese which I often have hard ‎time explaining. Different kinds of tea, how to stroll in a garden, enter a tea room and keep ‎composure there. Even martial art jujitsu was explained. A friend of mine, a 5-dan holder ‎of Karate, appreciated me pointing the book's citation of jujitsu albeit different spellings. I ‎just follow Britannica's way of spelling. ‎Despite many other things that I had grappled with, I felt better because I had a cut of what ‎the 16th century of Japan was like. Tea, Ikebana, Indian ink culture, are alive and well with ‎present day Japan. Even Christianity had its own days or a century before Ieyasu ‎extinguished it. The compact book gave me an insightful account of perspectives.‎
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2014
    First off, not really about tea. It's an overview of the history and philosophy of China and Japan through talking about tea. Okakura is a Japanese author who learned English at a young age, written in 1906.

    I found this book by clicking around on some links about Wabi-Sabi and because of my love for Chinese Tea I decided to read this one. The tea ceremony's I have been involved in are certainly rich, simple, peaceful experiences, it has a similar effect as yoga on mind and body. I hope to drink several cups of various asian varieties of tea every day for the rest of my life.

    I would recommend this short book to anyone interested in Asia, it's history and philosophy, and as well, it's tea. Especially the westerner. The author being Japanese but well versed in western thought (through his early command of the english language) offers a great rebuttal to the attitude of the west towards Asia, which I wish so bad us westerners could catch on to. That can be found especially in the beginning, but certainly throughout.

    "They (the tea-masters) have given emphasis to our natural love of simplicity, and shown us the beauty of humility."

    Some more quotes:

    "There is a subtle charm in the taste of tea which makes it irresistible and capable of idealization."

    "Lotung, a Tang poet, wrote: “The first cup moistens my lips and throat, the second cup breaks my loneliness, the third cup searches my barren entrail but to find therein some five thousand volumes of odd ideographs. The fourth cup raises a slight perspiration,— all the wrong of life passes away through my pores. At the fifth cup I am purified; the sixth cup calls me to the realms of the immortals. The seventh cup— ah, but I could take no more! I only feel the breath of cool wind that rises in my sleeves." --- Surprisingly, the tea after drinking a couple cups has these effects! It's way different than the caffeine high from coffee as well. It's a much more hydrated, non-jittery feeling. The author describes the tea ceremony as being derived from the practice of Buddhist monks drinking tea before their altars. It can easily be a spiritual, life-giving experience.

    “If people of inferior intelligence hear of the Tao, they laugh immensely. It would not be the Tao unless they laughed at it.”

    "Hide yourself under a bushel quickly, for if your real usefulness were known to the world you would soon be knocked down to the highest bidder by the public auctioneer. Why do men and women like to advertise themselves so much? Is it not but an instinct derived from the days of slavery?"
    15 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2013
    Published in 1906, Okakura’s ‘Book of Tea’ espouses that tea is the foundation for a system of life, a philosophy, and it’s associated benefits all conspire to bring together that which is fundamental, holistically and spiritually. From Taoist and Zen upbringings, Teaism (not a typo!) comes with an admixture of the two as a world-philosophy, disposition and mindset. Being in the here and now and as Okakura writes: ‘The whole ideal of Teaism is a result of this Zen conception of greatness in the smallest incidents of life.’ (308) And beyond the philosophy which is the works pertinence, we are given a glimpse of the importance of the things of everyday life and how they should be approached, also we get both an education in tea-making and architecture.

    It’s a pretty neat, quick, read if you have any interest in Eastern Philosophy / Religion.

    Broken into brief segments the work includes:
    1. The Cup of Humanity.
    2. The Schools of Tea.
    3. Taoism and Zennism.
    4. The Tea Room.
    5. Art Appreciation.
    6. Flowers.
    7. Tea-Masters.

    The work begins with Okakura’s reaction of the end of Japanese Isolationism (mid-1600’s to mid-1800’s), the bemuddled feeling of the people when they’ve realized that their governments xenophobia has led them to all sorts of bizarre conceptions and contrarily, that Westerners also have laid many poor misconceptions upon the Japanese people. However, the binding, humanitarian element throughout the discourse between the east and west, the thing that weaves together our humanity, has been the reverence and esteem toward good tea – ‘The white man has scoffed at our religion and our morals, but has accepted the brown beverage without hesitation.’ (53), since at least 1610 when the Dutch East India Company brought tea first to Europe.

    The second part of the work deals with the beginnings of tea. It focuses on preparation: boiled (Sang), whipped (Tong) and steeped (Ming) - (100). Okakura acknowledges that the Western world is bereft of the prior two methods because Europe entered the picture at the end of the Ming Dynasty (in China: 1368-1644). He elaborates on the preparation methods, detailing them finely and with the care one would expect of a teaist.

    The third segment of the book brings about a discussion regarding Taoism and it’s component philosophies as they relate to both enhancing characteristics of Zen and Confucianism, the major players in, then, Eastern philosophy / religion. The major tenants include: present-mindedness, laughter at absurdity, an easy demeanor and path, way, means, mode… of being, existing, in the world.

    The fourth section puts on display the tea-room and it introduces the tea ceremony. Much time is given the architectural process and much thought put into criticizing Western architecture for using oft repeated styles and this is usually coupled with, upon strolling the inside, a lack of modesty so great as it regards material matter, that one is stricken by its indecency. Whereas the tea-room was a small, non-descript, humility begging structure, which may have one or two decorations and seat no more than usually 5 at a time. A very intimate gathering, and one full of custom as Okakura goes on to explain in the sixth section during his analysis of the use of flowers during the tea ceremony.

    Sections 5 and 6 are brief and deal mainly with what truly appreciating the respective titles means (art, flowers) and their usefulness and symbolism in Japanese culture, and specifically as it may relate to the tea rooms. Here is learned a snippet of some of Japan’s earliest competitive decorative florists: the Ikenobos (Formalistic School)! But Okakura finds that to be a topic which would be too long discussed and probably insubstantiate a work about tea.

    The work concludes with a summary of how a tea-master lives his life and directs his abilities. There is found here much accreditation, justly due, to the inventions of Japans tea-masters.

    Quotes:

    ‘Teaism is a cult founded on the adoration of the beautiful among the sordid facts of everyday existence.’ (3)

    ‘… scarcely any attention has been drawn to Teaism, which represents so much of our Art of Life.’ (24)

    ‘Teaism is the art of concealing beauty that you may discover it, of suggesting what you dare not reveal.’ (78)

    ‘Teaism was Taoism in disguise.’ (192)

    ‘People are not taught to be really virtuous, but to behave properly. We are wicked because we are frightfully self-conscious.’ (229)

    ‘How can one be serious with the world when the world itself is so ridiculous!’ (231)

    ‘But, after all, we see only our own image in the universe, - our particular idiosyncrasies dictate the mode of our perceptions.’ (505)
    24 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2017
    I love this book!
    It is not only a guide through history of tea, but a guide through the history of humanity, history of the relation between East and West and its values. The way it is written is poetic but it is still showing what the main differences between East and West are and how we are unable to understand the beauty of the moment, the beauty of present time, which is in the center of the tea ceremony.
    Western people are so determined to stick to their past and trying so hard to conquer their future that they forget to enjoy the only time they really can feel, the only time in which they can do something: the present time.
    16 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

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  • Esther Ferreira
    5.0 out of 5 stars Denso
    Reviewed in Brazil on February 14, 2024
    Um livro que explica oq é o chá para o oriente, incrivelmente crítico e simples. Inglês avançado
  • taca
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great book !
    Reviewed in Canada on January 6, 2025
    Nice quality
  • Isai Medina Ancona
    5.0 out of 5 stars Un gran libro para disfrutar relajadamente
    Reviewed in Mexico on September 18, 2022
    Me gusta que el libro empieza con un giro filosófico sin perder la objetividad, que al principio es los antecedentes historicos y culturales del té.

    En mi experiencia en particular, no pienso que este libro sea una lectura pesada, sin embargo sí que me detuve a reflexionar en ocasiones (más que cuando he leido novelas).

    Si conoces mucho sobre el tema del té, entonces creo que entenderas muchas referencias que tal vez pasen desapercibidas si aún no estas tan familiarizado con el tema.
  • Leser
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gratis Ebook
    Reviewed in Germany on December 16, 2024
    The Book of Tea von Kakuzō Okakura ist ein faszinierendes Werk, das ursprünglich 1906 für ein westliches Publikum geschrieben wurde. Es ist mehr als nur ein Buch über Tee; es ist eine tiefgründige Erkundung der japanischen Kultur, Philosophie und Kunst durch die Linse des Tees und der Teekultur.

    Okakura beschreibt Teaism als eine Lebensphilosophie, die Harmonie, Einfachheit und Respekt vor der Natur fördert. Er verbindet diese Philosophie mit Zen und Taoismus und zeigt, wie sie die japanische Kultur und Kunst beeinflusst hat.

    Zudem dient das Buch als Brücke zwischen Ost und West, indem es westlichen Lesern die Feinheiten der japanischen Teekultur näherbringt. Okakura diskutiert zudem die Bedeutung von Kunst und Ästhetik im Zusammenhang mit der Teezeremonie und wie diese Praktiken die japanische Architektur und Kunst beeinflusst haben. Der Schreibstil ist poetisch und philosophisch, was das Lesen fast schon zu einem meditativen Erlebnis macht.

    Ich habe das Buch auf Deutsch in Druckform und mich sehr gefreut, dass es hier als Ebook auf Englisch gratis verfügbar ist. Dann habe ich es zumindest immer dabei.
  • Shannon
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good but expensive
    Reviewed in the United Arab Emirates on November 5, 2024
    It's pocket size book. It is expensive for the size. Other than that the book in amazing 👏