The Book of Tea (English Edition) by Kakuzo Okakura – Large Print with Vocabulary Notes | Japanese Culture Classic

The Book of Tea is a timeless cultural classic written by Kakuzo Okakura (Okakura Tenshin), an influential Meiji-era scholar, art critic, and cultural ambassador of Japan. Originally published in New York in 1906, this English work was written to explain Japanese aesthetics and Eastern philosophy to Western readers.

Through elegant prose and subtle humor, Okakura explores the philosophy behind the Japanese tea ceremony and reveals the deeper worldview underlying Japanese culture. Rather than being simply about tea, the book presents tea as a symbol of harmony, simplicity, and the appreciation of beauty in everyday life — a concept closely connected with Zen thought and traditional Eastern aesthetics.

Together with Bushido: The Soul of Japan, the work helped Western intellectuals understand Japanese values and Eastern philosophy at the beginning of the 20th century. Even today, it remains one of the most widely read introductions to Japanese cultural thought.

This edition features large print and helpful vocabulary notes explaining difficult words, making it accessible not only to international readers but also to Japanese learners studying English or cultural texts.

Contents

• Echoes of an Art of Life

• The Cup of Humanity

• The Schools of Tea

• Taoism and Zennism

• The Tea-Room

• Art Appreciation

• Flowers

• Tea-Masters

• Tea Ceremony

About the Author

Kakuzo Okakura (1862–1913) was a Japanese art critic and philosopher of the Meiji period. Raised in Yokohama during Japan’s opening to the world, he became deeply involved in the preservation and promotion of traditional Japanese art. While studying at Tokyo Imperial University, he met the American scholar Ernest Fenollosa, who greatly influenced his appreciation of Japanese aesthetics.

Okakura later helped establish the Tokyo School of Fine Arts (now Tokyo University of the Arts) and founded the Japan Art Institute. Through English publications such as The Book of Tea (1906) and The Ideals of the East (1903), he introduced the beauty and philosophy of Eastern culture to the world.

Product Details

• Publisher: IBC Publishing

• Publication Date: March 25, 2015

• Language: Japanese (includes English text)

• Format: Softcover / Paperback

• Pages: 167 pages

Recommended For

• Readers interested in Japanese culture and philosophy

• Students of tea ceremony and aesthetics

• English learners reading cultural classics

• Travelers or cultural enthusiasts seeking deeper understanding of Japan