The Tea Ceremony [Hardcover]

Sen'O Tanaka (Author), Sendo Tanaka (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1998

In Japan, serving tea is an art and a spiritual discipline. The tea ceremony is an occasion to appreciate the clean lines of the tearoom's design, the feel of the bowl in the hand, and the company of friends. It is also a discipline, with roots in the twelfth century and close connections with architecture, landscape gardening, ceramics, painting, flower arrangement, and of course, Zen Buddhism.

Written by one of Japan's contemporary tea masters, The Tea Ceremony takes a clear and comprehensive look at the sources and inspiration of an ancient discipline. Sen'o Tanaka traces the practice from its earliest origins to the present day, considering in detail the individuals who helped it evolve. He discusses all the elements of the ceremony -- including art, architecture, incense, flowers, and the influence of Zen -- and shows how readily the study of tea can serve as a spiritual path to greater insight and calm.

Originally published twenty-five years ago, The Tea Ceremony has been revived here in a magnificent new illustrated edition. A lavish selection of entirely new photographs and line drawings adds a visual dimension to the text, capturing the aesthetic spirit that is the heart of the ritual.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

SEN'O TANAKA was born in 1928, the grandchild bf Sensho Tanaka, founder of the Japan Association of the Tea Ceremony (Dai Nihon Chado Gakkai). A graduate of the Tokyo Higher Mercantile Marine School, he studied Chinese literature at Nisho Gakusha University, and did graduate work in Oriental philosophy at Waseda University, where he earned a master's degree. Mr. Tanaka became the president of the Dai Nihon Chado Gakkai in 1961. In 1990, he became the senior executive director of the Santoku-an Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the tea association. He is the publisher of the monthly magazine Chado no Kenkyu (Studitis in the Tea Ceremony) and regularly contributes articles to the journal. He is the author of several books on the tea ceremony, including Chado Nyumon Handobukku.

SENDO TANAKA was born in 1958, the eldest son of Sen'o Tanaka. After receiving a master degree in sociology from the University of Tokyo, he went abroad to study at Universit� Laval in Quebec. In 1988, he became vice president of the Dai Nihon Chado Gakkai and the following year became a lecturer at Nihon University. He now teaches the art of tea at the association and lectures at Keio University. He has published several works, including the book Usucha no Temae.
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 223 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha Amer Inc; Rev Sub edition (February 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4770021259
• ISBN-13: 978-4770021250
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 7.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,291,519 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tea Ceremony explains far more than Tea, May 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Tea Ceremony (Hardcover)

I've found that an understanding of the tea ceremony led to a better understanding of so many Japanese cultural treasures that I now recommend this book to anyone wanting to know more about subjects ranging from gardening to ceramics. Interested in Raku pottery? Study the tea ceremony. Want to know more about Japanese gardens? Study the tea ceremony. A fan of Zen Buddhism? Learn the way of Tea. Want to know more about Japanese architecture? Learn about sukiya style by studying the tea ceremony. Are you interested in Japanese woodworking and joinery? Learn about Tea, you'll know more about what to hide, what to emphasize in your carpentry. This particular books is a very good starting point, don't be surprised if you read this and then become interested in 20 other subjects. You'll keep coming back to this one in order to understand all 20.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fairly good introduction to tea ceremony, October 20, 2006

By 

K. Straley (Kansas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Tea Ceremony (Paperback)

This bood is a fairly good intro to the Japanese tea ceremony for the absolute neophyte. Covering history, gardening and a very basic overview of the utensils and ceremony. For anyone wishing to know more about the actual procedures of the ceremony, the book falls short (however, I'm not aware of any books widely available that do a good job of explaining these procedures). As tea ceremony is best learned under the tutalage of an instructor, anyone more serious about tea would do best to seek out a teacher.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential preparation for doing business in Japan and with the Japanese, it is more than just sipping tea, June 24, 2008

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tea Ceremony (Hardcover)

Some aspects of a culture are deep-seated, traditional and can be puzzling to outsiders. Yet, some knowledge of that aspect will provide the foreigner with an enormous advantage as they try to enter that market and expand their business. In Japan, one very important tradition is the tea ceremony, and the ability of a foreigner to appreciate the role it has played in Japanese society can be a key to business success.
This book contains descriptions of the history of the ceremony, the role it has played in Japan and many of the ways in which it is conducted. Learning the basics of the ceremony is not difficult, yet it can be essential knowledge when meeting and interacting with Japanese business executives. It should be required reading for anyone with a need to prepare for meetings and interactions with executives of Japanese companies.