英文摘要
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Chado, or the way of tea, represents the essential Japanese culture. Based on the Chinese tea culture, Chado undergoes a series of transformation and innovation throughout the history to achieve its unique status today. Each stage of this evolution focuses on different aspects of tea culture, leading finally to the emergence of Chado proper in the Muromachi period.During the Kamakura period, the Japanese tea culture was dominated by the ”monasterial tea fashion” led by Buddhist monks. The key figure of this fashion was Eisai Zenji, or the Zen master Eisai, who studied in China during the Song dynasty. His book, ”Treatise on Tea Drinking for Health”, represented the fruit of the development of Japanese tea culture during this period.Eisai's work is important in three aspects. Firstly, it takes Lu Yu's ”The Tea Classic” as its primary object of emulation. With a slight adjustment of structure, this book nevertheless follows ”The Tea Classic” to delineate all dimensions of knowledge concerning tea. Secondly, it emphasizes the tea's uses of medical and physical care. This function again is first propounded by ”The Tea Classic” and promoted by the tea-drinking habit of Song monasteries. Yet, unlike the tendency of Song monasteries, Eisai's book does not focus on the ritual of tea drinking. Furthermore, ”Treatise on Tea Drinking for Health” highlights the bitter taste of tea, promoting its medical benefits to the human heart. ”The Tea Classic”, on the other hand, emphasizes the interaction among the many tastes of tea, aiming for a balance of different elements. Lastly, the Japanese idea of drinking tea as a care of life ultimately means a way to rid of diseases and dispel evil spirits. This is a distinct line of thinking that arises from the historical background of Eisai Zenji. The tea culture of Kamakura period, generally speaking, originates from China, yet there are still remarkable differences between them. These differences show Eisai Zenji's selective acceptance of Song tea culture, sketch out the background of Kamakura tea culture, exemplify how Zen Buddhist monks connect tea to Zen and thereby establish the direction of Japanese tea culture. Since then, Japanese tea culture steps upon a different path from that of the Chinese pursuit of Taoist way of tea and life.
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