Rokkakudo, a small, six-sided wooden pavilion that overlooks the Pacific Ocean from a low rocky headland in northern Ibaraki Prefecture, is by no means Tenshin Okakura's most important legacy. That honor would go to "The Book of Tea," a now-classic dissertation on traditional Japanese aesthetics that he wrote in 1906. Still, the seaside retreat is the most picturesque of the late scholar's many achievements, as well as the most evocative of his spirit, and it is for these reasons that a profound sadness followed the news that the tsunami of March 11, 2011, had washed it away.

That news spread quickly from Japan's northeastern coast to Tokyo, China, Korea, India, Italy and the United States. Within weeks, Okakura scholars from around the globe were contacting Ibaraki University, which administers the pavilion, expressing their despair but also their firm conviction that Rokkakudo must be rebuilt. Many added that they would be willing to help.

"The response from around the world was overwhelming," explained Isoji Miwa, a retired Ibaraki University professor who, in April 2011, was charged with overseeing the reconstruction. "In truth, there was never really any doubt that we would rebuild Rokkakudo because it had always been such an important symbol for the prefecture."