A beautiful look at the importance of tea and the tea ceremony in Japan, from a historical, spiritual and cultural perspective. Perfect for any fan of green tea or the history of tea, especially if they are keen on Japanese culture and the deep meaning and artistry behind this process. Wonderfully presented, this classic book has been around for some time, but the imagery in this really refreshes it and all flows together so well.

The ideal gift book for the tea lover in your life. This is a wonderful history of Japanese culture, and the poignancy of the tea culture and rituals impact on Japanese life. It's very spiritual and philosophical in places; much more than a book just about tea and the presence it places in societies.

A look into the Japanese influence in tea and vice versa. Images and introduction to tea through different areas and times.

I’ll admit I requested The Book of Tea by mistake. Blame old age, rush, or whathaveyou, but I misread something, I understood something else, and I went in expecting tea-related pictures.

Imagine my surprise when those traditional Japanese kettles I was dreaming of never materialized. My tea fields? Sorry, wrong book. Still, my perplexity was short-lived: The Book of Tea turned out to be an informative tale, steeped in history and culture. All in all, a lucky mistake.

**

‘Tea began as a medicine and grew into a beverage,’ are the opening words of Okakura Kakuzō’s The Book of Tea, written in English in 1906 for a Western audience. The book is a long essay celebrating the secular art of the Japanese tea ceremony and linking its importance with Zen Buddhism and Taoism. It is both about cultural life, aesthetics and philosophy, emphasising how Teaism – a term Kakuzō coined – taught the Japanese many things; most importantly, simplicity, which can be seen in Japanese art and architecture. Looking back at the evolution of the Japanese tea ceremony, Kakuzō argues that Teaism, in itself, is one of the profound universal remedies that two parties could sit down to. Where the West had scoffed at Eastern religion and morals, it held Eastern tea ceremonies in high regard. With a new introduction, this is an exquisitely produced edition of a classic text made using traditional Chinese bookbinding techniques. Surely it’s time for tea.

133 pages
Non-fiction, food and beverage, religion
Amber Books LTD.
Goodreads

**

Cover: Delicate, I like it.

Yay!

- The Book of Tea is a book about Japanese culture and the ritual of tea. Making tea may seem like a mundane task–it is a mundane task for a good chunk of people, me included–but if we look beneath the surface, there’s much more. It’s an art, a practice that’s known as Teaism. The best definition of Teaism, and I quote verbatim here, is ‘When tea is more than a drink and the tea ceremony is understood and practiced to foster harmony in humanity, promote harmony with nature, discipline the mind, quiet the heart, and attain the purity of enlightenment, the art of tea becomes teaism.’ This tradition is rooted in Taoism and Zennism too.

- There are almost no pictures, but the drawings are so beautiful. I love the traditional artwork displayed in the book. My very favorite feat, however, has to do with tales. They’re scattered among the chapters, used to introduce or explain a concept.

- From a technical standpoint, the slow-paced rhythm of the book fits the theme to a T. I tend to prefer fast-paced stories, true, but that would have been inadequate here. A further hat tip goes to the editor: it’s always a pleasure to read a mistake-free book.

- The Book of Tea needs to be read little by little, because the concept behind it is complex and deserves to be mulled over. It’s not a yay or nay, per se, just a suggestion.

TL;DR

4 stars on GR.

A pity I couldn´t download the edition with the illustrations, so this review is "only" about the text.
I had heard great things of this book, and it is really very good. Teaism is described for the Western world with whom he often compares the aesthetic and philosophical views.
It´s not only about the tea ceremony and tea making (at first with salt f.e.!), but about the simple architecture of the tea house, the flowers and other simple decorations, and the author also combines it with the philosophy of Zen and Taoism.
A pity the several aspects of tea and philosophy are mixed, so that you don´t have the impression of a homogenous book. The end is impressive - wish the whole book would have been like that!
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

As a tea lover, I enjoyed reading this book and found it fascinating and well-written. The content was super interesting and poetic.

Came for the tea, stayed for the philosophy. I expected this to be a coffee-table book, so naturally it completely took me by surprise that it focused so much on religion. I read it in one sitting, fascinated by the principles of Taoism and Zen Buddhism, and their influence on Japanese aesthetics and tea rituals. It was really uplifting and beautifully written, truly a work of art. I will definitely return to this book.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book to review!

I love a cup of tea and a book, so a book about tea with a cup of tea, seems like a lot of tea but maybe also not enough as we are given an interesting history of a brew that has been an existence for hundreds of years and giving people a moment of peace for just as long.

A book that goes into the detail about tearoom architecture, the history of brewing and where tea was taken across the world makes for an interesting delve into this subject. Taken also from a religious perspective too, you're given a new perspective on tea and it makes for a more rounded history of the subject.

Accompanying this essay are beautiful illustrations that really add to the moments being highlighted in the pages and are worth seeing (particularly P.53 for me) that really add more to this book and bring to life the essay so much more.

If you find this topic interesting this book is definitely for you, it can be quite dry in moments however it's not a long book and is just a really beautiful book to add to your collection.

(I received an ARC from Netgalley for honest review).

If you love tea, then you will enjoy this read. Follow tea as it evolves from homes to rituals to schools of preparation and pouring, to lessons that can be learnt, routes of trade, through societal structures, and change. A truly fascinating history of tea.

As someone who drinks more green tea than water, this was the perfect book for me, I had to request it immediately.
It's really interesting to learn about the history of tea and the reverence that some societies hold for such.

The book is easy to read, despite being very historical, it's still interesting and helped along by some really beautiful illustrations.

Un libro carinissimo che mostra non solo le proprietà del the, ma anche la grande varietà della pianta e i vari usi e costumi ad esso relativo. Da grande bevitrice di the, sono rimasta affascinata da un libro a tutto tondo sulla mia bevanda preferita, scoprendo tante sfumature locali a me prima sconosciute. Davvero un pezzo da tenere in casa se si è appassionati

This book is not what I expected, however, it was a quick and easy read on the history of tea. Unfortunately, I have nothing more to say. It didn't wow me but overall was a OK read.

The Book of Tea was first published in 1906, and a quick read. Written in English, the author contrasts Japanese culture with Western attitudes mostly focussing on tea and the rituals associated with the tea ceremony. A history of tea is given from its origins in China and the book also talks about architecture, art, flowers and religious thought including Taoism and Zen. This is a beautiful edition, nicely illustrated.

‘The simplicity of the tea-room and its freedom from vulgarity make it truly a sanctuary from the vexations of the outer world.’

Okakura Kakuzo was a scholar who promoted Japanese arts last century and is best remembered as the author of The Book of Tea (1906).

‘There is a subtle charm in the taste of tea that makes it irresistible and capable of idealization.’

Basically this is an essay written for a Western audience on ‘teaism’ and its contribution to Japanese life. Kakuzo looks at the ceremony associated with tea in relation to the wider themes of Taoism and art for example.

‘Tea with us became more than an idealization of the form of drinking: it is a religion of the art of life.’

The main theme is that teaism has been central in teaching the Japanese the importance of simplicity. Short and succinct, this is an interesting read on Japanese culture.

‘Do we not need the tea-room more than ever?’

Interesting musings on the importance of tea in Japanese society, if sometimes rather more elaborate on the then current state of affairs than on details of the ceremony itself
Those who cannot feel the littleness of great things in themselves are apt to overlook the greatness of little things in others.

In The Book of Tea, from 1906, the author follows the cultural impact of the beverage on the culture of Japan. From history, being a Chinese invention, moving from cakes of ground leaves, to be heated with ginger, lemon and even onion at first to what we now would call Matcha (powdered tea, curiously boiled with salt) towards the leaves we boil nowadays, there is a lot of interest. Still I would have liked a bit more on the actual mechanics, as opposed to the feel and idea behind the tea ceremony. The illustrations give you a feel, but I missed something nonetheless.

The contrast between West and East, with the linkage to both Zen Buddhism and Taoism, is interesting. Also Shinto decreeing that houses exist for people and should be broken down after death of the dweller is a very interesting explanation for the wooden architecture and cyclical rebuilding of temples.

We classify too much and enjoy too little the author says at the end, before a section on Ikebana that feels almost The Little Prince like in feel, and I feel he is right despite that I find this brief book more admirable than loveable. Still a very interesting cultural document and ideal for a read with some nice cups of sencha.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a short and sweet book about tea, teaism, and zen.

This is a reissue of the original book published in the early 1900s. We learn about tea through its history and evolution as well as tea ceremonies and uses.

Overall a short and pleasant read, but on the dryer side.

A small essay with beautiful drawings in style to tell not only the history of tea, but its evolution, the schools that have represented it, the connections with Zen and other arts, such as those that have to do with flowers. Very nice and interesting, but certainly not for everyone.

Un piccolo saggio con dei bei disegni in stile per raccontare non solo la storia del te, ma la sua evoluzione, le scuole che lo hanno rappresentato, i collegamenti con lo zen e con altre arti, come per esempio quelle che hanno a che fare con i fiori. Molto bello ed interessante, ma certo non per tutti.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.