Okakura Kakuzo 
The Ideals of the East 

‘The Ideals of the East’ is an essential work on Japanese art and esthetics written by Okakura Kakuzo, a co founder of the Tokyo Fine Art School and one of the great 19th-century experts on Asian art and archaeology. 

The book approaches the subject from a philosophical perspective, exploring the spirit and the spirituality behind the notable eras of Asian music, painting, architecture, textiles, and other realms of artistic expression.



This 1904 book that famously declared ‘Asia is one’ was among the first studies in English to reference Zen as it explored the roots of Japanese beauty. Like the author’s ‘The Book of Tea, ‘ this volume emphasised the spiritual ideals of Asia, and especially Japanese art.