Chasetsu shusei [A Collection of Theories about Tea].

First edition. 3vols. bound in two (complete). 34 woodcut illustrations, several double-page. Yellow fukurutoji binding with original title-slips. A very good set. 4, 4, 27; 17; 21ff. Numazu, Yomando, dated: Meiji 7 [i.e. 

Kato Kagetaka (dates unknown) worked for the Meiji Government in the Ministry of Home Affairs. He lived in Numazu and took a strong personal interest in tea cultivation. He was a close friend of the Shintoist Hirayama Seisai (1815-1890) who wrote the introduction to this work. The first volume gives a general introduction to tea as well as the process of collecting and steaming tea-leaves. The second volume explains the different methods of growing strong tea (koicha) and weak tea (usucha) while the third gives an overview of tea-production in various counties as well as a short section on different species of tea. Each volume is illustrated with fine woodcuts which includes the method of shading used in Uji-cha. During the early Meiji period tea came to be regarded as an important product for export and efforts were made to increase production. Rare. Only three copies in OCLC. 

Stock Code: 247377