A (very) Brief History of Tea

Part 2 – I Think I’m Turning Japanese

Tea was pretty much solely a Chinese thing for the better part of 3000 years. While some of this might be attributed to them wanting to keep it for themselves, the fact that trans-oceanic travel was at the very least, difficult, certainly played a part. So while Tea certainly has a longer history in China, no less important is the influence that Japan has had on the evolution of Tea.

Tea seems to have been introduced to Japan twice. The first known reference to Tea appears in a text written by a Buddhist monk in the 9^th century. At the time ‘brick tea’ was popular in China, and it’s likely that this is what made it to Japan. According to ancient writings, tea seeds were brought into Japan by a Buddhist monk, Saicho, in 805. Saicho is credited with founding the Tendai school of Buddhism. Another monk, Kukai, also brought seeds back from China in 806.

In 1191, the famous Zen priest Esai returned to Kyoto with tea seeds from China. In 1211 he wrote the two volume ‘Kissa Yojoki’ or ‘How to Stay Healthy by Drinking Tea’. The first line of the book reads: “Tea is the ultimate mental and medical remedy and has the ability to make one's life more full and complete". Quite an endorsement. Another story of legend is how he introduced Tea into the Samurai, or warrior class. In 1214 it seems a Shogun had a habit of drinking too much in the evenings. Esai presented the Shogun with a book he had written espousing the health benefits of drinking tea. Soon after, the custom of drinking tea became popular with the Samurai.

The Tea Culture of Japan emerged over the course of centuries and evolved from being prepared as part of Buddhist rituals, to being consumed by the Samurai and upper class and ultimately filtering into all levels of Japanese society. By the 16^th century, the ‘Way of Tea’ or chado had been established by Sen Rikyu, still regarded and revered figure in Tea Ceremony. The principles of harmony, purity, respect and tranquility are still central to Tea Ceremony.

It is interesting to note that only green Tea is produced in Japan, although there are several varieties: Sencha, the most common in everyday life; Bancha, a simpler form of Sencha, very rarely exported; Gyokuro, what you might call the elite Sencha; Houjicha, which is a baked Sencha; Genmaicha, a Sencha combined with toasted rice; and finally, Matcha, the most revered Tea. This is the tea used for Tea Ceremony, and is a powdered green Tea. You’ll notice that all of the Tea names end in ‘cha’; Cha is the Japanese word for Tea.

The history of Tea in Japan is an interesting and complex one, and this simplistic attempt to introduce you to it hopefully will inspire you to further exploration. The ‘Book of Tea’, written by Okakura Kakuzo and first published in 1906, is an excellent treatise on the development of the Tea Culture in Japan.

Next: Part 3 – Dutch Treat.