What is the history of Japanese tea?

Tea is an essential drink in Japan and has a long history. There are many people who would like to know about the history of tea in Japan.

In this article, we will introduce the history of Japanese tea.

What is tea?

Tea is a beverage made from the leaves of the evergreen tea tree, a member of the Camellia family. Depending on the processing method, different types of tea can be made.

History of tea

Tea originated in China

It all began around 2700 B.C., when Shin-Nong discovered tea as a medicine.

It is said that because the Shennong school used their own bodies to investigate the effects of plants and plants, they were exposed to as many as 72 poisons in a day, and chewed tea teeth each time to detoxify them.

Envoys introduced tea to Japan

It is said that tea seeds were brought to Japan by envoys to Tang Dynasty and monks studying abroad at the beginning of the Heian period.

The historical book “Nihon Koki” states that “On April 22, 815, the monk Nagatada brewed tea and offered it to Emperor Saga,”and this was the first time that tea was drunk in Japan. It is called a description.

However, in this era, tea did not spread deeply among the common people, and tea began to decline.

Tea spread again during the Kamakura period

In the Kamakura period, Eisai, the founder of the Rinzai school of Buddhism, traveled to the Sung Dynasty twice and brought back tea with him when he returned to Japan. Eisai popularized tea in Japan, and later wrote “Kissa Yojoki,” which explained that tea was good for health.

When sencha became popular in the Edo period, it became available to the common people. “Nagatani style sencha”, created in 1738 by Soen Nagatani, known as the father of sencha, created aromas and colors that were not present in tea made using the Chinese method up until then.

After that, tea was cultivated in various parts of Japan, creating teas unique to each region that are still popular in Japan today.

summary

Japanese tea has gone through various historical changes to take on its current form. There are many types of tea in Japan, so why not try drinking tea from all over Japan?

What is Wabi-Sabi(侘び寂び)?