The Book of Tea (1906)

The Book of Tea by Kakuzo Okakura gave a history of tea and the Asian philosophy of tea. It is important to note that the author died in 1913 before major world events and that his ideas reflect an ethnocentric view which may have been common when he was living.

Tea originally was thought of as medicinal only but later gained recognition as a beverage in 8th Century China. Teaism is a cult in Japan that emphasized purity, cleanliness and simplicity. This philosophy compared emotions to tea. There could be too little tea or emotion or too much.

My favorite parts of this book are the discussion of the evolution or the three ways of preparing tea. The first way that tea was prepared was by boiling it with rice, ginger, salt, milk and spices until you have a cake to make tea from. It is still prepared that way in Tibet and Mongolia.

The second way developed in the Ming Dynasty is powdered tea. This is called the whipped method and does not use salt. It began in Southern China but this method only survives in Japan where the Mongols were unable to take over. Along with this, the simple tea room and the tea ceremony developed in Japan. The ceremony and drinking of tea is supposed to drive away fatigue.

The Ming Dynasty in China started using steeped tea which the Western world is familiar with. Tea was best enjoyed in porcelain cups.

What I didn’t like in this book was the assumption that the Japanese way of Teaism is the best way. The author criticizes the Western way and instead of thinking of them as just different assumes that the Eastern way is best.

I did enjoy this e-book very much, especially the history of tea and the discussion of the requirement s of Japanese tea rooms and the philosophy of Teaism. I just touched on the topics in this book; the author goes into great depth on them.

I do recommend it but you will need to accept the authors’ assumptions about which culture is better, West or East. ( )

This is a delightful book, written about 100 years ago, about the tea ceremony, its spiritual roots and its influence on Japanese culture.

The writer traces the roots of the tea ceremony in Taoism and Zen Buddhism, emphasising the importance of enjoying the present moment and seeing beauty in small, everyday things. He shows how the purity and simplicity of the tea-room came from emulation of the Zen monastery, and this in turn influenced Japanese architecture for centuries. There were some wonderful observations, for example on the deliberate avoidance of symmetry or repetition in the decoration of the tea-room, on the grounds that "True beauty could be discovered only by one who mentally completed the incomplete." The process was more important than attempting a perfect end result.

The writing itself is a thing of elegant beauty. Here's a brief example:

"The afternoon glow is brightening the bamboos, the fountains are bubbling with delight, the soughing of the pines is heard in our kettle. Let us dream of evanescence, and linger in the beautiful foolishness of things." ( )

This is an interesting and short book. It covers some of the history of Tea in China and Japan, but focusses more on the cultural, religious and artistic aspects of tea drinking, the tea ceremony and the tea house. ( )

The Tao of Tea

Written in English for an American audience during Japan's rise to imperial power, the Book of Tea "has served for nearly a century as one of the most perceptive introductions to Asian life".

The author believed that Asia was one and that Japan was a "repository of Asia". He had studied the Chinese classics and its religious culture as a young man, which led him to believe that Chanoyu (the "Tea Ceremony") was a form of spiritual discipline. Art stands against all that is false, grasping and self-serving, and Chanoyu is a path to a life that is true and authentic as it worships the imperfect.

Taoism and Zen Buddhism from the Chinese Sung dynasty are maintained in the tea ceremony, long after the loss of this tradition in China with the rise of the Yuen. The tea ceremony is an excuse for the worship of purity and refinement, it is Taoism in disguise. Pity, economy and modesty are the three jewels of Taoist life. Equally to Taoism, Zen is the worship of relativism. The Tea Ceremony originated in Zen monks successively drinking tea from a bowl before the image of the Bhodi Dharma and expresses harmony, respect, tranquillity and purity.

The Tea Room is consecrated to the worship of the imperfect, is asymmetrical and purposely leaving something unfinished. As such the Tea Room is made with extreme craftsmanship and more costly than an ordinary mansion. Entered via a garden, the door would be no more than 3 feet high.

All objects should be selected so that no colour or design is repeated. The art should represent the individual taste of the tea master. Flower arrangements should not be "noisy" but simple and harmonise with the art and the weather. The architecture and decoration done by tea masters have influenced palaces and monasteries. Painting and lacquer ware were also influenced, although the author does not elaborate here.

The core text of the book constantly juxtaposes Eastern simplicity against Western overabundance, as if attack were the best form of defence (while I was reading the Book of Tea I was asking myself if Ian Buruma had written about it). As another point of critique The Book of Tea advocates an aestheticism that is primarily Japanese and Korean and alien to more exuberant repositories of Asia like Chinese or Thai culture (or any pachinko parlour).

Overall this seemed a good edition of an elitist book with an excellent introduction and after word. ( )

This is an interesting little volume and reveals something of the Japanese mind set. I read it once years ago and surprisingly remembered a good deal of it. I did seen an authentic tea ceremony (unbelievably green) and the patience, philosophy, and ideology of tea can be clearly discerned in the practice.