Cha-no-yu: The Urasenke Tradition of Tea - Hardcover

Sen, S.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0834802120 ISBN 13: 9780834802124

Publisher: Weatherhill Inc, 1989

Synopsis

The Way or Tea - chanoyu or chado - is one of the primary pillars of Japanese culture. It is both an exponent of and a force acting on the aesthetic life of the nation. Realizing that chanoyu could have relevance for the West, Okakura Tenshin wrote The Book of Tea (1906) to clarify the culture of his own country for an English-speaking audience. Okakura's work is a classic; still, its aim was to introduce and explain what was then a distant, exotic culture to the West. Things are very different today. Fifteenth-generation Grand Tea Master Soshitsu Sen of the Urasenke tradition, convinced that chanoyu can benefit humankind, has endeavored for four decades to disseminate understanding and practice of it throughout the world. Due to these efforts, Urasenke has become almost synonymous with chanoyu outside Japan. Here is the first primer of the Urasenke legacy. The inspirations of the grand masters, their lives, choice of utensils, their ideas and intuitions, and sensibilities provide a background and a setting. The remainder of the book is a concrete, contemporary introduction to the spirit of chanoyu. The spiritual essence of chanoyu is a sharing in tranquillity, simplicity of taste, and muted stillness of natural beauty. The tearoom is the setting, but the tea spirit lies in understanding and sharing the mutual moment of peaceful communication between host, guest, and the quiet surroundings. Chanoyu, by becoming a reflection of inner quiescence, humbly offers new hope - a moment of peace among all human beings partaking in a simple, yet often forgotten, appreciation of repose in a troubled world.

About this title

Synopsis:

An introduction to the Japanese art of tea ceremony. This book surveys the lives of the grand masters and the artifacts they have bequeathed.

About this edition

• Publisher: Weatherhill Inc
• Publication date: 1989
• ISBN 10: 0834802120
• ISBN 13: 9780834802124
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 184