Abstract

★A Study of Tea Culture Through the Lens of Buddhism
★Exploring Tea Drinking and Tea Culture Through the Various Schools of Japanese Buddhism, Beyond Rinzai Zen Alone

This book explores the relationship between the Japanese tea ceremony and Buddhism in chronological order, focusing primarily on the lives and contributions of Japanese Buddhist monks. From the introduction of Buddhism to Japan in ancient times to the emergence of tea offerings at Buddhist temples in the modern era, it examines how monks from a wide range of Buddhist traditions contributed to the development of tea-drinking culture and the Japanese tea ceremony. These traditions include not only Rinzai Zen, which has strong historical ties to the tea ceremony, but also Nara Buddhism, Shingon, Tendai, Jodo, Jodo Shinshu, Nichiren, Soto Zen, and Obaku Zen.

Author’s Information

Born in 1940 in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, Hiroichi Tsutsui graduated from the Department of Oriental Philosophy, Faculty of Letters, Waseda University, and completed his master’s degree in Japanese Literature at the university’s graduate school. He holds a Ph.D. in Literature and is a Visiting Professor at Kyoto Prefectural University. He has devoted many years to researching the history and philosophy of Japanese tea culture.