{"product_id":"the-book-of-tea-beauty-simplicity-and-the-zen-aesthetic-9784805314869","title":"The Book of Tea: Beauty, Simplicity and the Zen Aesthetic","description":"\"Transcending the narrow confines of its title, presents a unified concept of life, art and nature. Along the way exploring topics related to tea appreciation, including Zen, flower arranging and Taoism. An early cultural activist, Okakura's mission was to preserve Japanese art and aesthetic practices from an extinction that seemed imminent.\" \u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eThe Japan Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNow in paperback with a new foreword and new photographs! This classic work by Okakura Kakuzo has inspired many generations of readers by illuminating the underlying spirit and message of the venerable Japanese tea masters. \u003ci\u003eThe Book of Tea\u003c\/i\u003e doesn't focus on the tea ceremony itself, but rather on the Zen Buddhist philosophy behind it. Kakuzo teaches us to cultivate an everyday awareness of the beauty in all the common things around us. His powerful message is even more relevant today than when he wrote this book, and it serves as a wonderful introduction to the aesthetics of Japanese culture. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis edition has a new foreword by Andrew Juniper, who runs the Wabi-Sabi Art Gallery in West Sussex, England, and an introduction by Liza Dalby, the first American woman to be fully trained as a geisha in Japan in the 1970's. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 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 Stewart Gardner--Boston's most notorious 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNearly a century later, Kakuzo's \u003ci\u003eThe Book of Tea\u003c\/i\u003e 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 a poignant commentary on Asian culture and our ongoing fascination with it, as well as illuminating essays on art, spirituality, poetry, and more. \u003ci\u003eThe Book of Tea\u003c\/i\u003e is a delightful cup of enlightenment from a man far ahead of his time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eOkakura Kakuzo\u003c\/b\u003e was born near Tokyo and learned English in his infancy, refining his linguistic skills at the Institute for Foreign Studies in Tokyo. Later he went on to study Oriental Arts at the Tokyo Imperial University. Okakura lived in America for several years where he served as Curator of the Department of Chinese and Japanese art at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. He was instrumental in the acquisition of much of that museum's exemplary collection of Eastern art. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eForeword to the Original Edition by: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eElise Grilli\u003c\/b\u003e lived and worked in Tokyo for many years. She was an art critic for the \u003ci\u003eJapan Times\u003c\/i\u003e and published several books on Japanese art including \u003ci\u003eGolden Screen Paintings of Japan\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eJapanese Picture Scrolls\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNew Foreword by: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAndrew Juniper\u003c\/b\u003e lives in West Sussex, England where he runs the Wabi-Sabi Art Gallery. He also works as a translator for UK and Japanese government bodies. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNew Introduction by: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLiza Dalby\u003c\/b\u003e is an author and anthropologist who, in the 1970s, became the first American woman to become fully trained as a geisha. Her publications include \u003ci\u003eGeisha\u003c\/i\u003e and the novel \u003ci\u003eThe Tale of Murasaki\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Tuttle Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50634949034258,"sku":"9784805314869","price":7.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_1dd52f1e-e538-40ee-8c83-c310fe2d5458.jpg?v=1732825775","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-book-of-tea-beauty-simplicity-and-the-zen-aesthetic-9784805314869","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}