Okakura Kakuzō

Okakura Kakuzō (1862-1913) was the Japanese scholar who contributed most to the development of Japanese fine arts. His great merit was to open to the West the Eastern aesthetics ideals when he wrote in English some of his brief though great works, like "The Book of Tea".

In Japan he founded the Tokyo School of Fine Arts and the cultural magazine Kokka. He also took part in the making of the works of art and cultural matters official inventory that served as a base to the resurgence of the interest for Japanese culture in Japan itself.

In 1904 he became director of the Asian art division in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

Amongst his works, the following stand out:

• The Ideals of the East (J. Murray, London, 1903)
• The Awakening of Japan (Century, New York, 1904)
• The Book of Tea (Putnam's, New York, 1906)

Books by this author

The Book of Tea Okakura Kakuzō (Annotated by Natalio Cardoso) "The Book of Tea" (1906), by Okakura Kakuzō, is the best written account about the Japanese spirit, the importance of its aesthetic perception and its relation with Taoism. Now it has been annotated by the expert in Japanese culture Natalio Cardoso. #east #japan #china #philosophy #aesthetics