History of Green Tea
From China to Japan to the World
The history of green tea really begins when the second emperor of China, Shen Nung discovered tea by accident, when tea leaves were blown into his coffee cup in around 2737BCE.
Initially tea was used for its medicinal purposes only. It has been recorded that Chinese people from AD25 would add ginger and onions to tea before drinking it.
Tea was listed in the Chinese dictionary in 400, with details on how to prepare and infuse it. Gradually the practice of drinking tea as a beverage began to gain popularity, but it was limited to the aristocracy and Buddhist monks.
During the Sui dynasty in China (581-618), tea drinking began to spread through the classes, and tea shops were opened.
Learn more about the history of green tea and China here.
Japanese Buddhist Monks Discover Green Tea
Around 593A.D, Buddhist monks who had been studying in China, brought the first tea seeds and leaves back to Japan.
Tea bushes were planted in the grounds of Buddhist temples. Buddhist monks used green tea in conjunction with meditation as a way to stay alert.
The Japanese emperor Saga who reined in Japan from 809-23, encouraged the spread of tea by initiating the cultivation of tea bushes in and around Kyoto, and Japan.
During this time tea drinking was reserved for Buddhist monks and the aristocratic classes.
The Buddhist monk, Eisai returns home with matcha
In 1191, the Buddhist monk Eisai returned from China and planted tea seeds in northern Kyushu.
Eisai is historically recognised as spreading Zen Buddhism in Japan.
Eisai writes two influential books on the health benefits of green tea.
In 1211 Eisai wrote a book entitled 'Tea Drinking is Good for the Health'.
He wrote about how tea drinking was good for the health of the organs in the body.
Eisai believed tea drinking was the secret to a long life. Eisai also wrote another book on the way of drinking powdered tea.
Eisei presented the shogan Sanetomo with his book and recommended the ill shogan to drink powdered green tea. Sanetomo followed the monk's advice and when he recovered he in turn
recommended tea drinking to those around him.
'Tocha' tea tournaments become popular among the warrior class.
During the 14th and 15th centuries a tea drinking game developed. It was practised in the warrior classes, and was known as ‘Tocha’, meaning ‘tea competition’.
Guests were served many kinds of tea, and had to guess where the tea was cultivated. The prizes were often beautiful art pieces brought across from China.
By the end of the 15th century tea drinking was beginning to be enjoyed by the masses.
The tea ceremony begins to take shape
It was around the 15th century that the Japanese tea ceremony began to take shape. There are many people that helped to shape the Japanese tea ceremony.
Find out more about the Japanese Tea Ceremony here.
Two Key Figures
Shuko Murata was a Zen priest who believed tea could be best enjoyed in a simple setting.
He designed a small tea room based on the philosophy of Zen Buddhism.
Sen no Rikyu was a tea master to the rulers of Japan at the time (Nobunaga Oda and Hideyoshi Toyotomi). These tea ceremonies were conducted on a grand scale which Sen no Rikyu
believed didn't encompass the philosophy of tea drinking.
Sen no Rikyu emphasised the simplicity and ideals of the Japanese tea ceremony including harmony,respect, purity and serenity. He developed the steps in the tea ceremony and passed these onto his students.
The history of green tea is a rich and colourful one, taking in China, Buddhist monks, the Japanese elite, Japanese tea masters and finally ending with the enjoyment by all.
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