Tea (茶, cha) is an important part of Japanese culture. It first appeared in the Nara period (710–794), introduced to the archipelago by ambassadors returning from China, but its real development came later, from the end of the 12th century, when its consumption spread to Zen temples, also following China's example; it was then powdered tea that was drunk after being beaten (called matcha today). In the Middle Ages, tea became a common drink for the elite, and in the 16th century, the art of the "tea ceremony" was formalized. It is now one of the most emblematic elements of Japanese culture, whose influence extends beyond the simple context of tea drinking. Tea-growing developed in the pre-modern era, particularly during the Edo period (1603–1868), when tea became a popular beverage consumed by all strata of society. New ways of processing and consuming tea leaves were developed, starting with sencha, a steamed oxidation-stopped brew that became the most common.
Today a handful of prefectures share the cultivation of tea plantations (Shizuoka, Kagoshima, Mie), whose mostly mechanically picked leaves are used to produce green teas, primarily sencha, but also lesser-known varieties such as bancha, or more elaborate varieties like gyokuro. Certain terroirs have a long-standing reputation for producing quality teas, first and foremost Uji in the Kyoto Prefecture. With an annual production of around 80,000 tonnes, Japan is still not a major tea producer on a global scale, nor is it a major exporter or even importer, since it consumes most of its own production. Tea leaves are now mainly used to make tea drinks sold in plastic bottles, a fast-moving consumer product that has become popular in society in the 2010s and is available in many variants. From the mid-2000s onwards, tea consumption supplanted that of loose leaves, while at the same time, other beverages such as coffee and soft drinks have overtaken tea in Japanese household spending. Tea consumption is also being renewed by the development of new products and increased use of matcha tea powder in gastronomy.
Tea has long enjoyed great importance in Japanese culture, which has adopted many elements of Chinese tea culture, but has also added its own, starting with the tea ceremony, which conquered the milieu of the medieval elites, then was promoted in modern times as one of the characteristic elements of traditional Japanese culture, and is presented as such on tourist sites and at diplomatic events. It has given rise to a specific aesthetic, concerning both the places where the ceremony is held and the objects used, which are the object of great attention both in their design and in their use, thus contributing to the "cult of the object" typical of Japanese aesthetics.
History of tea in Japan up to modern times
First steps Japan's first contact with tea is thought to have taken place during the Nara period (710–794), when Japan sent several diplomatic missions to Xi'an, the capital of the Tang dynasty. These early delegations brought back Chinese cultures and practices, as well as paintings, literature and other artifacts. The Chakyō shōsetsu records emperor Shōmu serving powdered tea to monks in 729, but the text is somewhat unreliable and may therefore contain errors.Sen 1998, p. 47-48.
In 804, Buddhist monks Kūkai and Saichō set off to study religion in China on a mission funded by the Heian-era government. The Shōryōshū mentions Kūkai drinking tea during his trip, before his return to Japan in 806. He is also the first to mention chanoyu (), which would later refer to the Japanese tea ceremony. Back in Japan, at least one of the two monks brought tea tree seeds back home; popular belief has it that this was Saichō, although there is no evidence to confirm or deny this.Varley and Elison 1981, p. 191.
The Kuikū Kokushi states that in 815, a Buddhist abbot served tea to Emperor Saga. This is the first attested mention of the use of tea in Japan. After tasting it, the emperor ordered the creation of five tea plantations near the capital.Kit Boey Chow et Ione Kramer, All the Tea in China, China Books, 1990, 187 p. (, read online archive), p. 13.Donald Keene, Yoshimasa and the Silver Pavilion : The Creation of the Soul of Japan, Columbia University Press, 22 février 2006, 232 p. (, read online archive), p. 141. Emperor Saga was known for his sinophilia, which manifested itself in his passion for tea. A lover of Chinese poetry, he in turn wrote poems, many of which mentioned tea drinking.Varley et Elison 1981, p. 192.Sen 1998, p. 48–52.
More recent texts from the Heian period indicate that tea was grown and consumed, in small quantities, by Buddhist monks for religious purposes. Nobility and the imperial family also drank tea. The practice, however, did not spread beyond these circles.Mary Lou Heiss et Robert J. Heiss, The Story of Tea : A Cultural History and Drinking Guide, Ten Speed Press, 2007, 417 p. (, read online archive), p. 164-168. In the three centuries following Emperor Saga's death, interest in Chinese culture declined in Japan, and tea consumption suffered.Mair and Hoh 2009, p. 85-86. The books of the time, however, continued to mention tea for its medicinal and stimulating virtues,Varley and Elison 1981, p. 193. and there was occasional mention of a mixture of tea and milk, a practice that soon disappeared.
The tea consumed at the time in Japan was certainly the tea brick (, dancha), which was its most common form in China during the Tang dynasty.Helen Saberi, Tea: A Global History, Reaktion Books, 15 October 2010, 183 pp. (, read online archive), p. 46. The first monograph on the subject of tea, Lu Yu's The Classic of Tea, was written a few decades before the arrival of Kūkai and Saichō. In it, Lu Yu describes the cooking and compression of tea into bricks, followed by the drinking process of grinding the brick into powder and mixing it with hot water until it froths.James A. Benn, Tea in China : A Religious and Cultural History, Hong Kong University Press, 23 avril 2015, 304 p. (, read online archive), p. 112. This may have inspired the powdered matcha that later emerged in Japan.
Eisai and the rise in popularity of tea
The Zen monk Eisai (1141–1215), founder of the Rinzai current of Buddhism, is generally considered to be responsible for the rise in popularity of tea in Japan. In 1191, he returned from a trip to China with tea-tree seeds, which he planted on the island of Hirado and in the mountains of Kyūshū. He gives other seeds to the monk Myōe, abbot of the Kōzan-ji temple in Kyoto. The latter planted the seeds in Toganoo () and Uji, which became the first major tea plantations in Japan. Toganoo tea was considered the best tea in Japan and was called "real tea" (, honcha) as opposed to "non-tea" (, hicha) produced elsewhere in Japan. In the 15th century, Uji tea surpassed Toganoo tea in quality, and "real tea" became Uji tea.Varley et Elison 1981, p. 199.
In 1211, Eisai writes the first edition of Drinking Tea and Prolonging Life (, Kissa yōjōki), Japan's first treatise on tea.Donald Keene, Yoshimasa and the Silver Pavilion : The Creation of the Soul of Japan, Columbia University Press, 22 February 2006, 232 p. (, read online archive), p. 143. The Kissa yōjōki promotes tea for its medicinal virtues. Its opening sentence reads, "Tea is the finest medicine for nourishing one's health; it is the secret of a long life." The preface describes how drinking tea can have a positive effect on the five vital organs of traditional Chinese medicine. Eisai believes that each of the five organs likes a different taste, and concludes that since tea's bitterness coincides with the heart's taste for bitterness, tea fortifies the heart. Eisai then lists tea's many supposed health benefits: dispelling fatigue, curing lupus, indigestion, beriberi, cardiovascular disease, and many others, in addition to its hydrating effect.Anderson 1991, p. 24–25. The treatise does not dwell on drinking tea for entertainment, but only on its medical benefits.Donald Keene, Yoshimasa and the Silver Pavilion : the creation of the soul of Japan, Columbia University Press, 2003, 208 p. , , p. 143.
Eisai introduced tea drinking to the samurai group. He presented his Kissa yōjōki to Shogun Minamoto no Sanetomo in 1214, when the latter was suffering from a hangover after drinking too much sake, and served him tea. Zen Buddhism also gained popularity during this period, particularly among the warrior class. In addition, Zen monk Dōgen wrote a set of texts regulating monastic life for his Eihei-ji community, later collected under the title Eihei Shingi ("Pure Rules [for the Zen Community]", and applied in many Sôtô School temples.Taigen Daniel Leighton & Shohaku Okumura, Dôgen's Pure Standards for the Zen Community. Une traduction de 'Eihei Shingi', New York, State University of New York Press, 1996, XXII + 270 (), p. 14-17 + 20–21. For this, Dōgen relies on a Chinese text from 1103, written by Changlu Zongze and intended for Chán monasteries.Zongze YIFA, The Origins of Buddhist MonasticCodes in ChinaAn Annotated Translation and Study of the Chanyuan qinggui, Honolulu, University of Hawai'i Press, 2002, XXX + 352 (), p. 43 + 90–94. This text includes remarks on the etiquette for serving tea during Buddhist rituals. Tea is thus at the heart of Zen practice. For his part, Rinzai master Musō Soseki asserts that "tea and Zen are the same".Anderson 1991, p. 27.
Tea culture in medieval times From the end of the Kamakura period (1185–1333) to the beginning of the Muromachi period (1336–1573), tea competitions (, tōcha) became a popular form of entertainment. Unlike tea competitions in China, they aim to distinguish teas that have grown in different regions, in particular, to compare "real tea" and "non-tea".Varley et Kumakura 1989, p. 11–12."Cha-yoriai", in Dictionnaire historique du Japon, vol. 3: Lettre C, Tokyo, Librairie Kinokuniya: Maison franco-japonaise, 1975 (read online archive), pp. 16–17. These events are known for their high stakes. Sasaki Takauji is particularly renowned for organizing these competitions, with lavish decorations, large quantities of food and sake, and dancing shows. This taste for extravagance and ostentation is referred to as (basara) and is the subject of numerous writings by scholars who strongly oppose it.H. Paul Varley, " Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and the World of Kitayama : Social Change and Shogunal Patronage in Early Muromachi Japan ", in John Whitney Hall et Toyoda Takeshi (dir.), Japan in the Muromachi Age, Berkeley, Los Angeles et Londres, University of California Press, 1977 (, read online archive), p. 187-188.
This type of gathering is described in the Treatise on Tea Tasting (Kissa ōrai) attributed to the monk Gen'e (1279–1350), which begins as soon as guests arrive at the host's residence, facing a strolling garden, where a first snack is offered. The guests are then invited to a room or pavilion, which is to be decorated with luxury, above all, with objects of Chinese origin in keeping with the customs of the time. Aesthetics took second place to sumptuousness in the gatherings of fine men of the period. This is where the tea tasting took place, served to guests in the proper order and accompanied by sweets. The ceremony is followed by a tea competition. The meeting concludes with an evening soaked in sake, during which the guests dance and sing merrily.Varley et Elison 1981, p. 196–197.