Akin to a fine cup of tea, the fresh leaves of China were steeped in the hot water of Korean culture and the brew poured into the dainty cups of Japan. Geographically poised between China and Japan, Korea has played both a linking and influential role as a stronghold of Buddhist culture in East Asia that can be seen in the artworks of all three countries. These countries have a long history of devotion to Buddhism, and until the arrival of communism in the region, many artworks referenced Buddhist practices.