# The Book of Tea — Character guide

> Key figures in The Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuzō.

- [Rikiu](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_tea_se/characters/rikiu.md): Rikiu perfected the tea ceremony under the patronage of the warlord Taiko Hideyoshi, and his judgments on cleaning, proportion, and natural beauty echo through every page of this book. His famous lesson to his son Shoan—
- [Laozi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_tea_se/characters/laozi.md): Laozi stands at the head of the Taoist current that runs through the entire history of tea, from the ritual of the Zen monks to the ceremony Rikiu would later perfect. His conception that immortality lies in eternal chan
- [Luwuh](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_tea_se/characters/luwuh.md): Luwuh wrote the Chaking, the classic treatise that turned tea-drinking into an art, and his fame was such that exquisites claimed to detect his tea from that of his disciples. A Taoist to the bone, he chose blue cups bec
- [Kobori Enshiu](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_tea_se/characters/kobori_enshiu.md): Enshiu belongs to the lineage of tea masters who shaped the ceremony and the spaces that house it, and his name is invoked whenever the book speaks of gardens that achieve the natural without seeming designed. His art li
- [Soshi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_tea_se/characters/soshi.md): Taoist philosopher known for parables and the butterfly dream.
- [Peiwoh](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_tea_se/characters/peiwoh.md): Legendary Chinese tea connoisseur known for his refined taste.
- [Chikamatsu](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_tea_se/characters/chikamatsu.md): Japanese dramatist whose works reflect tea culture aesthetics.
- [Taiko Hideyoshi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_tea_se/characters/taiko_hideyoshi.md): Taiko Hideyoshi was the ruler whose sponsorship allowed Rikiu to institute and refine the formalities of the Tea-ceremony, making tea a matter of state as well as spirit. The relationship between the two men—the warrior 
- [Sotumpa](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_tea_se/characters/sotumpa.md): Chinese tea master known for his eccentric wisdom.
- [Confucius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_tea_se/characters/confucius.md): Chinese philosopher whose teachings are contrasted with Taoism.
- [Sakyamuni](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_tea_se/characters/sakyamuni.md): Historical Buddha, referenced in discussions of Zen and tea.
- [Buddha](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_tea_se/characters/buddha.md): Enlightened being central to Buddhist philosophy in the book.
- [Hiakujo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_tea_se/characters/hiakujo.md): Chinese Zen master who established monastic tea rituals.
- [Tanka](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_tea_se/characters/tanka.md): Zen monk known for burning a wooden Buddha statue for warmth.
- [Empress Komio](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_tea_se/characters/empress_komio.md): Japanese empress who offered tea to Buddhist monks.
- [Bodhi Dharma](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_tea_se/characters/bodhi_dharma.md): Legendary founder of Zen Buddhism, associated with tea's origin.
- [Katagiri Sekishiu](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_tea_se/characters/katagiri_sekishiu.md): Tea master who preserved Rikiu's traditions after his death.

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_tea_se/characters