[Contemporary Artist Makoto Aida Provides Commentary] New Translation and Commentary of Okakura Tenshin's Global Bestseller 'The Book of Tea' — On Sale Friday, March 27

Two Virgins Co., Ltd. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) is releasing a new modern Japanese translation of The Book of Tea by art philosopher Okakura Tenshin, marking the 120th anniversary of its publication. The new edition includes commentary by contemporary artist Makoto Aida and goes on sale on Friday, March 27, 2026. Written in English by Okakura Tenshin, an art philosopher active during the Meiji era, The Book of Tea was published in 1906 by a New York publisher, became a bestseller, was translated into numerous languages, and made a profound impact on Western society. Despite its title, the book speaks to Japanese and Eastern culture, philosophy, and aesthetic sensibility. In contrast to Bushido — "the art of death" — it celebrates tea ceremony as "the art of life." The work made enduring contributions to the development of Japanese art across generations and remains recognized as a timeless classic. Now, 120 years after its publication — in an era where multiculturalism and diversity are advancing even as globalism accelerates and exclusionary ideologies spread — the book is drawing renewed attention as a source of wisdom for understanding one's own values, spiritual grounding, and cultural identity. The Book of Tea has been translated over the years in both academic and nationalistic styles, but this new translation prioritizes the vitality of Tenshin's original prose while expressing the beauty and flexibility inherent in the Way of Tea, aiming for a rendering accessible to modern readers. Additionally, Makoto Aida — one of Japan's leading artists, who cites Tenshin as a major influence on his own creative practice — provides commentary offering a fresh perspective for today's generation. In a time of mounting challenges, this edition promises to serve as a catalyst for new discoveries and reflection. From Makoto Aida's Commentary "I wonder if The Book of Tea is something like a prescription that Tenshin prepared in advance for humanity — for peace, or if that proves impossible, at least for maintaining some semblance of inner calm. The Way of Tea as perfected by Rikyu was born in an age of warfare and bloodshed. It does not seem far-fetched, then, to consider that Tenshin's motivation for introducing the Way of Tea to the world at that particular moment — in English, the international language — was a premonition of an age of war closing in on the world. Needless to say, war — in ever-changing, ever more complex and bizarre forms — continues unabated in various parts of the world today. This is because the fundamental human nature that gives rise to war has not changed. Its roots run too deep in the human brain, and easy solutions seem nowhere in sight. For people living today in the same confused world as ages past, there is, I believe, profound meaning in reading The Book of Tea — a book written by an Eastern intellect of over a century ago who went head-to-head with Western civilization. I sense that this book, so full of metaphor and with an atmosphere almost of a poetry collection, still conceals and scatters hints for resolving such high-difficulty problems." Book Specifications Hardcover edition with ribbon bookmark. The atmospheric colored paper cover features calligraphy reading "Book of Tea" written especially for this edition by calligrapher Mikiko Kayama, embossed in foil.