Abstract: The Book of Tea by Japanese thinker Okakura Kakuzo was noted for its significant impact. However, it was critiqued for various omissions regarding the transmission of tea to Europe. Issues such as the earliest European accounts of tea, whether Marco Polo mentioned tea, the timing of tea introduction to Britain, and the dating of correspondence on tea by missionary Almeida, were either attributed to improper material usage or cognitive bias. The book’s discussion on tea’s role in triggering the American Revolutionary War also required critical analysis, alongside a deeper exploration of obstacles encountered by tea in Europe. These deficiencies were primarily attributed to the author’s limited knowledge base and the intention of defending Japan fervently following the Russo-Japanese War. Nevertheless, the book’s alignment with the societal concerns of American audiences at the time led to its widespread popularity, later resulting in numerous Chinese translations with the rising interest in tea culture in China. Providing annotations for this work helped in gaining a deeper understanding of its contents, while emphasizing the importance of integrating internal and external histories in tea studies.

Keywords: Okakura Kakuzo; The Book of Tea; Europe; Dissemination of Tea; Russo-Japanese War

Published on Journal of University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Issue 5, 2025.