aRTICLES, SOCIAL LINKS, BOOKS

General Articles, Online



Books — Study Guides, History, Philosophy

  • A complete list of Urasenke Chado Study Resources in English is at Urasenke. The best to begin with are:

    • Urasenke Tea Procedure, Sen, Soshitsu (2017). Tankosha Publishing, English translation ISBN978-4-473-04178-4, by Gretchen Mittwer and Michael Hardy. A series of three guidebooks include step-by-step photos and descriptions of the basic procedures for host and guests:

      • Guidebook 1: Introductory Level: fundamentals of host & guest roles, and the first two procedures, Bonryaku and Chitosebon.

      • Guidebook 2: Usucha Tea Procedure: includes both furo (brazier) and ro (sunken hearth) versions; more details of the guest role.

      • Guidebook 3: Koicha Procedure: includes both furo (brazier) and ro (sunken hearth) versions; more details of the guest role.

    • Sen Genshitsu & Sen Soshitsu (Supervising Eds.) (2011). Urasenke Chado Textbook. Japan: Tankosha Publishing.

    • Sen Soshitsu XV (Supervisor) (1993). Tea Etiquette for Guests: A Practical Guide for Chanoyu Study. Kyoto: Tankosha Publishing.

    • Urasenke International Association (Trs.) (2007) A Chanoyu Vocabulary. Japan: Tankosha Publishing.

  • Anderson, Jennifer L. (1991). An Introduction to Japanese Tea Ritual. State University of New York Press. (anthropological, spiritual aspects, a chaji in detail).

  • Castile, Rand (1971, 1979). The Way of Tea. NY: Weatherhill. (out of print)

  • Corbett, Rebecca (2018, paperback 2019). Cultivating Femininity: Women and Tea Cutlure in Edo and Meiji Japan. University of Hawai’i Press.

  • Gunji, Kimiko (2019). The Art of Wagashi: Recipes for Japanese Sweets that Delight the Palate and the Eyes. Urbana Illinois, University of Illinois Japan House.

  • Hayashiya, S., Hayashiya, T., Nakamura, M. (1980). Japanese Arts and the Tea Ceremony. New York: Weatherhill/Heibonsha.

  • Hamitzsch, Horst (1980). Zen in the Art of the Tea Ceremony. New York: St. Martin’s Press.

  • Hirota, Dennis (Ed.) (1995). Wind in the Pines: Classic Writings of the Way of Tea as a Buddhist Path. Fremont, CA: Asian Humanities Press.

  • Iguchi, Kaisen (2020) Rikyu’s Hundred Verses in Japanese and English, Tankosha Publishing Co., Ltd.

  • Monzaemon, Chikamatsu (1653 – 1725). Toshiko Mori (Editor). (2009) Stories From a Tearoom Window. Tuttle Publishing Co.

  • Mori, Barbara L. R. (1992). Americans Studying the Traditional Japanese Art of the Tea Ceremony: The Internationalizing of a Traditional Art.  Mellen Research University Press.

  • Okakura, Kakuzo (1906, 1964, 1989, 1991). The Book of Tea. NY: Kodansha International. (the classic; first introduced tea to the West).

  • Plutschow, Herbert (2001). The Grand Tea Master: A Biography of Hounsai Soshitsu Sen XV. Trumbull, CT: Weatherhill.

  • Sadler, A. L. (1933, 1962, 1998). Cha-No-Yu: The Japanese Tea Ceremony. Rutland, Vermont: Charles E. Tuttle. (one of first Americans in Japan).

  • Sanmi, Sasaki. McCabe, S. & Satoko, I (Trs.) (2002). Chado: The Way of Tea, A Japanese Tea Master’s Almanac. Boston: Tuttle.

  • Sato, Shozo, (2017). Tea Ceremony: Explore the Unique Japanese Tradition of Sharing Tea, Asian Arts & Crafts for Creative Kids (ages 7-12). Tuttle Publishing . Includes steps for performing a Japanese tea ceremony.

  • Sen Soshitsu XV, (1979, 1990). Chado: The Japanese Way of Tea. NY: Weatherhill. (includes pictures of tearooms/gardens, utensils, & some procedures).

  • Sen Soshitsu XV (ed.) (1988). Chanoyu: The Urasenke Tradition of Tea. NY: Weatherhill. (history, Urasenke masters, utensils, tearooms, tea gathering).

  • Sen Soshitsu XV (1998). The Japanese Way of Tea: From Its Origins in China to Sen Rikyu. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. (history)

  • Sen Soshitsu XV. (1979, 1991). Tea Life, Tea Mind. NY: Weatherhill.

  • Sen Soshitsu XV (1991). World Views of the Way of Tea: Urasenke Tankokai 50th Anniversary Commemorative Forum (Sen Soshitsu XV + speakers from China, France, Prague, USA, & Moscow). Kyoto: Insatsu Shiko Co.

  • Sen Tomiko (1988, 1994). An Almanac of Urasenke Seasonal Tea Sweets. Kyoto: Tankosha. (Beautiful pictures of sweets by our Grand Master’s late wife, who gave inspiring monthly lectures for us at Midorikai.)

  • Surak, Kristin (2013). Making Tea, Making Japan: Cultural Nationalism in Practice. Stanford University Press.

  • Suzuki, Daisetz T. (1970 reissue). Zen and Japanese Culture. Princeton University Press. (First published in 1938.)

  • Tanaka, Seno (1973, 1977). The Tea Ceremony. NY: Crown Publishers.

  • The Art of Chanoyu: The Urasenke Tradition of Tea (1986) (The March 7-30 exhibit at the Doizaki Gallery, Los Angeles). Kyoto: The Urasenke Foundation.

  • Varley, Paul (Ed.) and Kumakura Isao (1989). Tea in Japan: Essays on the History of Chanoyu. University of Hawai’i Press.

  • Wilson, William Scott. (2012). The One Taste of Truth: Zen and the Art of Drinking Tea. Shambhala Publications, Inc.

  • Yasunosuke & Yes Illustrated (3rd edition, 1937). Tea Cult of Japan — An Aesthetic Pastime. Tokyo: Board of Tourist Industry, Japanese Government Railways.

  • Yaeko, Nogami, translated by Mario Nichi LaFleur and Morgan Beard (2018). Hideyoshi and Rikyu. University of Hawai’i Press.