ABSTRACT
After leaving Japan in December 1901, Okakura-Kakuzō (1863–1913) stayed in India until October 1902, during which time he engaged in dialogue with two Indians: Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902) and Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941). That Vivekananda’s philosophy resonated with Okakura can be grasped from his works The Ideals of the East and The Book of Tea. Having experienced a profoundly spiritual way of life at Advaita Ashrama, Okakura regained his vitality to confront the task of directing the Nihon Bijutsuin (Japanese Fine Arts Academy). His discovery of the source of Japanese art upon visiting Buddhist remains helped him construct a history of art based on his belief in the unity of religion and art throughout Asia. In 1901, Tagore opened a small school in Shāntiniketan. Similarly, after returning to Japan, Okakura also moved to a rural village, Izura in Ibaraki Prefecture, where the artists of the Nihon Bijutsuin devoted themselves to the creation of their paintings. Tagore wrote many plays, and Okakura’s final work, The White Fox, was also an opera libretto. The White Fox and Tagore’s The Sacrifice explore the themes of self-sacrifice, humanism, religion, and love and sorrow. The exchange of ideas with Vivekananda and Tagore influenced Okakura and represented a turning point in his life.
