The Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuzō, 1906
This is the third part of this story and comprises the final section. Let us continue with Kakuzō’s writing on the tea ceremony.
“The tea-master, Kobori-Enshiu, himself a daimyo, has left to us these memorable words: “Approach a great painting as thou wouldst approach a great prince.” In order to understand a masterpiece, you must lay yourself low before it and await with bated breath its least utterance. An eminent Sung critic once made a charming confession. Said he: “In my young days I praised the master whose pictures I liked, but as my judgment matured I praised myself for liking what the masters had chosen to have me like.”
“It is to be deplored that so few of us really take pains to study the moods of masters. In our stubborn ignorance we refuse to render them this simple courtesy, and…
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