Teaism as an Aesthetic Philosophy

Where it surfaces

• The Book of Tea

  The chapter defines Teaism as a way of life that elevates tea drinking into a spiritual and artistic practice, influencing Japanese art, architecture, and daily conduct.

• The Cup of Humanity

  Teaism is defined as a cult founded on the adoration of the beautiful amid everyday sordidness, emphasizing purity, harmony, and the worship of the Imperfect.

• The Schools of Tea

  Tea is presented as a work of art requiring a master hand, with the Japanese tea ceremony seen as a religion of the art of life and an improvised drama.

• Flowers

  Flower arrangement is presented as an integral part of the tea-ritual, subordinated to the total scheme of decoration and embodying the aesthetic principles of teaism.