The tea ceremony persists as one of the most evocative symbols of Japan. Originally a pastime of elite warriors in premodern society, it was later recast as an emblem of the modern Japanese state, only to be transformed again into its current incarnation, largely the hobby of middle-class housewives. How does the cultural practice of a few come to represent a nation as a whole? Drawing on ten years of tea training and research, Kristin Surak offers a comprehensive analysis of the tea ceremony, including its historical changes, institutional organization, and the "nation-work" that links national meanings to the enactment of the practice. Surak places chanoyu in comparative perspective and shows how tea both reflects and helps construct modern Japanese national identity.