Okakura Kakuzō
Okakura Tenshin | |
|---|---|
Okakura Kakuzō c. 1905 | |
| Born | February 14, 1863 |
| Died | September 2, 1913 (aged 50) |
| Other names | Okakura Kakuzō |
| Occupation(s) | Artist, writer |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Tokyo Imperial University |
| Influences | |
| Academic work | |
| Era | Meiji Period |
| Discipline | Art criticism |
| Main interests | Japanese art, Japanese tea ceremony |
| Notable works | The Book of Tea (1906) |
| Notable ideas | Teaism |
| Influenced | |
Okakura Kakuzō (岡倉 覚三, February 14, 1863 – September 2, 1913), also known as Okakura Tenshin (岡倉 天心), was a Japanese scholar and art critic who in the era of Meiji Restoration reform promoted a critical appreciation of traditional forms, customs and beliefs. Outside Japan, he is chiefly renowned for The Book of Tea: A Japanese Harmony of Art, Culture, and the Simple Life (1906). Written in English, and in the wake of the Russo-Japanese War, it decried Western caricaturing of the Japanese, and of Asians more generally, and expressed the fear that Japan gained respect only to the extent that it adopted the barbarities of Western militarism.