Okakura Kakuzō (岡倉覚三), also known as Okakura Tenshin (岡倉天心), was a renowned Japanese scholar who played a pivotal role in the development of the arts in Japan. He is primarily remembered outside Japan as the author of the influential work, The Book of Tea.

Born in Yokohama to parents originally from Fukui, Okakura was educated in English while attending a school managed by the Christian missionary, Dr. Curtis Hepburn. At the age of 15, he entered Tokyo Imperial University, where he met and studied under the Harvard-educated professor, Ernest Fenollosa.

In 1889, Okakura co-founded the periodical Kokka. The following year, he was a key figure in establishing the first Japanese fine-arts academy, the Tokyo School of Fine Arts (東京美術学校 Tōkyō Bijutsu Gakkō), and soon after, he became its head.