The Book of Tea

Okakura Kakuzō (1863-1913) was a Japanese scholar. Born in Tokyo, Okakura was the son of a silk merchant. At fifteen, having learned English at the school of Christian missionary Dr. Curtis Hepburn, he enrolled at Tokyo Imperial University, where he studied under esteemed art historian Ernest Fenollosa. In 1887, Okakura cofounded the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, but was ousted from his role several years later. He spent his career as one of Japan’s leading cultural ambassadors, travelling throughout Europe, the United States, and Asia in his capacity as a lecturer. In 1910, he became the first head of the Asian art division of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. His major literary works, most of which were written in English, include The Ideals of the East with Special Reference to the Art of Japan (1903), The Awakening of Japan (1904), and The Book of Tea (1906).