The Book of Tea was written by Okakura Kakuzo in the early 20th
century. It was first published in 1906, and has since been republished many
times.
In the book, Kakuzo introduces the term Teaism and how Tea has affected
nearly every aspect of Japanese culture, thought, and life. The book is
accessibile to Western audiences because Kakuzo was taught at a young age to
speak English; and spoke it all his life, becoming proficient at communicating
his thoughts to the Western Mind. In his book, he discusses such topics as Zen
and Taoism, but also the secular aspects of Tea and Japanese life. The book
emphasises how Teaism taught the Japanese many things; most importantly,
simplicity. Kakuzo argues that this tea-induced simplicity affected art and
architecture, and he was a long-time student of the visual arts. He ends the
book with a chapter on Tea Masters, and spends some time talking about Sen no
Rikyu and his contribution to the Japanese Tea Ceremony.
— Excerpted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
