Okakura Kakuzō (1863–1913,) also known as Okakura Tenshin, was a Japanese scholar, art critic, and philosopher who preserved and promoted traditional Japanese art during the Meiji Restoration. He is best known for advocating Eastern aesthetics and cultural identity amid Western modernization.
Born in Yokohama, he studied at Tokyo Imperial University under Ernest Fenollosa, an American art historian. He later became head of the Tokyo Fine Arts School (1887) and founded the Japan Academy of Fine Arts (1898.)
His most famous work, The Book of Tea (1906,) explores Japanese tea culture as a life philosophy, emphasizing simplicity, harmony, and spiritual depth. Other notable publications include The Ideals of the East (1903,) on Asian artistic traditions, and The Awakening of Japan (1904,) examining Japan’s modernization and global influence.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Kozuko Okakura
In joy or sadness, flowers are our constant friends.
—Kozuko Okakura
Topics: One liners, Gardening
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