In 1997, a thirteen-part miniseries was aired on Japanese television describing the life of Sen-Rikyu, the formulator of the tea ceremony. He is the author of One Hundred Maxims for Tea. This deluxe gift box includes a book with over 100 full-color illustrations and helpful diagrams, a traditional Japanese porcelain teacup, a bamboo whisk, a packet of powdered grain matcha tea, and an exquisite reusable presentation box.
Anthony Man-Tu Lee is an armchair Zen poet and Asian art collector who teaches and performs the tea ceremony in Canada. In his overview of this ritual, he looks at its evolution over the years in Zen monasteries, in courtly life, in samurai culture, and in modern-day Japan. Man-Tu Lee discusses the philosophy of the tea ceremony with its emphasis upon wabi (elegance) and sabi (serenity). He examines the aesthetic elements of the ceremony including its retreat from everyday pressures, its rustic nuances, its engagement of the senses, and its embrace of hospitality.
The book concludes with step-by-step instructions for creating your own one- or four-hour tea ceremony. Keep in the back of your mind the following advice from Sen-Rikyu: "To become expert one needs first love, second dexterity, and third perseverance."