The Japanese Way of Tea: From Its Origins in China to Sen Rikyū

by Sōshitsu Sen XV, V. Dixon Morris (Translator)

Almost a millennium before the perfection of Chado (the Way of Tea) by Sen Rikyu (1522–1591), the Chinese scholar-official Lu Yu (d. 785) wrote exhaustively about tea and its virtues. Grand Tea Master Sen Soshitsu begins his examination of tea's origins and development from the eighth century through the Heian and medieval eras. This volume illustrates that modes of thinking and practices now associated with the Japanese Way of Tea can be traced to China—where from the classical period tea was imbued with a spiritual quality.

Genres: Tea, Nonfiction, Japanese Literature, History, Japan

262 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Alternate Names:
千 玄室 - Sen Genshitsu (Genshitsu Sen)
千 宗室 XV - Sen Sōshitsu XV (Sōshitsu Sen XV)

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an astounding book about the history of tea, with special emphasis on the cultural connections to its evolution, especially in Japan. It's, by far, the best documented book I've read in the matter and it's a must-read for anyone interested in the topic. It's not a book for beginners. I would definitely recommend other Soshitsu Sen XV books for them.

Apart from the impressive bibliography and research, one of my favorite parts is how well Sōshitsu depicts the evolution of the motivations for drinking tea and how the ceremonial part of tea got built. It's a fascinating piece of anthropological research that clears many questions.

Sometimes it can be a little too nerdy so take your time with the book :)

[Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute treasure. Despite being scholarly in nature and perhaps presuming more historical and contextual knowledge than I had going into it, this book is both approachable and deeply rewarding for people curious about the history of the Japanese way of tea. I especially loved the chapters on Jōō and Rikyū. I found the chapter on tea contests to be almost obsessively detailed, which was admittedly a bit frustrating for me as I was eager to get through this chapter, not having much interest in this aspect. Regardless, this is one of the most detailed examinations of the history of chadō in English, and therefore a must read for me. I also found it to be extremely illuminating with respect to the origins of wabi sabi, which so many other English studies utterly bastardize. Extremely glad I came across this work!

[Javier Ormeno · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides comprehensive insight into the history of chanoyu and its evolution. Differently from most books focusing in time after Rikyu, the information concerning tea before Rikyu awakens an urge to continue researching origins of the wabi approach to life.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful,beautiful book... I highly recommend it to all the tea enthusiasts and professionals.

[Jazmin Pieres · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es un libro de investigación, pero es muy informátivo.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at the history of tea in Japan. The author wanders a little and repeats himself a lot but some of that may be that this is a translation of a Japanese book. A knowledge of some of Japanese and Chinese history is essential to understand this book but otherwise an interesting read.