Okakura Kakuzō
Part II: Tea With Isabella
By Stef S., Tea Consultant
It is a chilly November evening, 1904, in Boston, Massachusetts, and cold radiates from the frosty glass windowpanes of an art studio. There is no better time for a cup of tea. Signaled by the soft, low whistle of the kettle, Okakura Kakuzo sets about preparing Matcha. He is an art historian, not an initiated tea master. However, there are few traditional art forms Okakura did not study during the esteemed Tokyo education of his youth, so today he plays the role of one beautifully. He is demonstrating Chanoyu, the Japanese Tea Ceremony. It is unlike anything his guests have ever seen, his simple whisking of a frothy cup of green tea a far cry from these turn-of-the-century Bostonian socialites’ opulent porcelain teacups and petit fours. Still, the familiarity of the ritual strikes them. In The Book of Tea, Okakura Kakuzo writes, “The afternoon tea is now an important function in Western society. In the delicate clatter of trays and saucers, in the soft rustle of feminine hospitality, in the common catechism about cream and sugar… the Worship of Tea is established beyond question.” Of all the attendees, the most captivated spectator also happens to be perhaps the most important woman in the room, 64-year-old “millionaire Bohemienne” and famous art collector Isabella Stewart Gardner of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum of Art (featured on our Quarterly cover). So, a legendary friendship begins, founded on a mutual interest in art, culture, and, of course, tea.
Okakura traveled to Boston when his devotion to Asian art and culture afforded him the opportunity to work for the Museum of Fine Arts. He was first employed as an expert in Chinese and Japanese Art, and later as a curator. His responsibilities ranged from attending events to giving lectures to procuring rare pieces. Of paramount importance was Okakura’s goal to preserve and promote Japanese art and culture. To accomplish this mission, he needed to establish a relationship with the art community abroad. How ironic that Boston would become his base for operations and primary residence in the United States! The site, where thousands of pounds of fine tea were cast into Boston Harbor during the infamous 1773 Boston Tea Party, welcomed the author of The Book of Tea with open arms. When Okakura arrived on the art scene in Boston in 1904, it was Isabella Stewart Gardner’s world. While the city was a hub for all manners of well-known writers, artists, collectors, and scholars at the turn of the 20th century, it would be difficult to name a more iconic Bostonian of the time than her.
A local celebrity, Mrs. Gardner was a highly intelligent and well-educated woman. Numerous trips abroad with her late husband Jack to countries spanning the globe fueled Isabella’s curiosity and hunger for adventure. She was drawn to the higher education community of Cambridge and the Back Bay area where she lived. An avid learner, she first began collecting rare books on her trips, followed by prized art. As a collector, Isabella was serious about collecting the best, rarest, most striking and personal art she could find. Her collection included works by Vermeer, Rembrandt, Degas, and Matisse. When her museum first opened in 1903, its layout was unique and modern. Isabella enjoyed contrast and nuance, intentionally presenting seemingly discordant works of art together. She meticulously ordered select contemporary works to be hung next to centuries-old paintings or displayed in the same room as masterpieces. To this day, her collection remains in her museum for the public to enjoy just as she arranged them. She had a reputation for being a bit headstrong. In a time when women were not allowed to vote, Isabella courageously made space for herself in an academic field dominated by men. She occasionally even enjoyed shocking the public by doing things perceived as unbecoming of a lady of her stature. According to one story, a younger Isabella commissioned a painting of herself wearing a short-sleeved dress and unveiled it at a large social event. Victorian Boston was scandalized that she would show so much skin above her elbow.
In some ways, a friendship between Okakura and Isabella seems like it would have been unlikely. Okakura valued tradition while Isabella rejected it. But they were both world travelers who were fascinated with art. Despite his position as curator of the Museum of Fine Art, Okakura did not advise Isabella on collecting pieces for her museum. There were many art forms for Okakura to promote apart from paintings and pottery. Chanoyu itself was one such art. At the time, many of the individuals who were dedicated to studying and promoting the practice of the Japanese Tea Ceremony were primarily concerned with collecting the associated teaware. Okakura saw Chanoyu as a performance art, focusing more on the tea experience than collecting the handcrafted tools. And he did perform! He preferred traditional Japanese dress to Western attire and enjoyed leaning into the expectations of his esteemed circle of art patrons who were at times puzzled by his preferences for traditional Japanese customs. His poetry writing, melancholy demeanor, and razor-sharp wit lent to his public image of mysterious art genius.
At the time, most upper-class women found themselves in charge of keeping house. Kindred spirits, they too were performing, putting their best foot forward to present their families to society. Trends relating to things like food, home decor, and fashion were most frequently set in motion by women because they had a say in planning these aspects of life for their households. It was for this influential audience that Okakura presented the tea ceremony.
Apart from Matcha, it is impossible to say for certain what varieties of tea they shared because they did not keep a record of what was served. It is hard to imagine that the proper Boston ladies would have neglected to invite Okakura to afternoon tea to demonstrate their hospitality. Black tea with cream and sugar in the English fashion was all the rage.
In 1905, Okakura delivered a lecture at the Museum of Fine Arts that addressed the cultured upper class of Boston women directly. “Ladies, I know that this appeal to you will not be in vain… in this city of Emerson and Longfellow, you should set the personal example of venerating the beautiful.” It is appropriate that mementos of Okakura Kakuzo are displayed at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, which also showcases photographs, autographs, and mementos of Emerson and Longfellow. In more ways than one, Okakura’s legacy is on show beside the greats of his time.
Okakura passed away in 1913, but the friendship that blossomed between him and Isabella Stewart Gardner endures, reflected today in her museum. In the “Blue Room,” among other important pieces of work, you will find a display case called the “Okakura Kakuzo Case,” featuring pictures of Okakura and notes penned by him. To be included in her collection among the great masters and contemporary geniuses of Isabella’s time is a high honor. According to the museum’s website, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum celebrates Okakura Kakuzo each May for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. In this way, he is still part of the Boston art community today.
We hope you have enjoyed our two-part series on Okakura Kakuzo, art historian, father of teaism, and the author of The Book of Tea. Inspired by the memorable friendship between Okakura and Isabella, we invite you to explore our selection of Japanese teas on pages 32-33 as well as our collection of Green Teas From Around the World on the next page.