Speak of Tea

Author: Okakura Kakuzō
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-08-01
Features: The Way of Tea begins with the drinking of tea, introducing the evolution of tea, its relationship with auspiciousness, and the art of appreciating tea. The content is rich and the information is detailed. The book primarily includes detailed discussions on the bowl of human emotions, the various schools of tea, the Way and Zen, and the tea room. This book explores tea, from drinking tea to the tea ceremony, and the three periods of tea evolution: boiling tea, powdered tea, and steeped tea. Boiling tea, powdered tea, and steeped tea represent the spirit of China's Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties—the ancestor of the tea ceremony, Lu Yu—and the ideal of tea for each dynasty. For later Chinese, tea was a delicious beverage but not an ideal. In Japan, tea is the religion of the art of life. The third chapter elaborates on the relationship between the Way and Zen, specifically the connection between Zen and tea. The book also offers an appreciation of the art of tea.