Origins in Ancient China

中国における茶の起源

According to legend, the Emperor Shennong discovered tea around 2737 BCE when wind-blown leaves from a wild Camellia sinensis tree fell into his pot of boiling water. Intrigued by the aroma, he drank it - and so began humanity's relationship with tea.

By the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE), tea had become China's national drink. The scholar Lu Yu wrote the Cha Jing (The Classic of Tea) around 760 CE, the world's first monograph on tea, covering cultivation, preparation, and the philosophy of drinking tea.

Tea was initially pressed into bricks, ground into powder, and whisked with hot water - a method that would later travel across the sea and evolve into something uniquely Japanese.

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日本への伝来

Tea Arrives in Japan

日本への茶の伝来と発展

Tea seeds and the practice of drinking tea were brought to Japan in the early 9th century by Buddhist monks returning from China. The monk Saichō (767-822) and later Eisai (1141-1215) are credited with introducing both tea and the Zen Buddhist practices surrounding it.

Eisai brought back new tea seeds and the method of matcha - finely ground powdered green tea - after his travels to Song Dynasty China. He wrote the Kissa Yōjōki (How to Stay Healthy by Drinking Tea) in 1211, promoting tea as medicine for body and spirit.

Tea cultivation began in earnest on temple grounds, and the practice of whisking powdered tea took on a deeply spiritual dimension within Zen monasteries - laying the foundation for what would become the Japanese tea ceremony.

805Saichō returns
from China

1191Eisai brings
matcha method

1211Kissa Yōjōki
written

1333Tea spreads to
samurai class

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茶道の精神

The Way of Tea - Chanoyu

茶道 - 千利休とわび茶

By the 16th century, tea had moved beyond the monastery and samurai elite into the hands of a merchant class seeking refinement. The tea master Sen no Rikyū (1522-1591) transformed the tea gathering into a profound aesthetic and spiritual practice known as wabi-cha - embracing simplicity, imperfection, and quiet mindfulness.

Rikyū established the four principles of tea, encoded in every aspect of the tea room, the utensils, and the gesture of serving:

和Wa

Harmony

敬Kei

Respect

清Sei

Purity

寂Jaku

Tranquility

"Though you wipe your hands and brush off the dust, so long as you are not cleansed within, you are not yet clean." - Sen no Rikyū

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現代の茶文化

Tea in the Modern World

現代の茶文化と日本の遺産

Today, tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water. Japan remains a guardian of tea tradition while embracing modern forms. The three major schools descended from Sen no Rikyū - Omotesenke, Urasenke, and Mushakōjisenke - continue to teach chanoyu worldwide.

Japanese green teas have become global favorites, each with its own character and brewing ritual:

Matcha

抹茶

Powdered green tea whisked in the ceremonial style

Sencha

煎茶

Everyday steamed green tea, Japan's most popular brew

Gyokuro

玉露

Shade-grown premium tea with rich umami flavor

Hōjicha

ほうじ茶

Roasted green tea with a warm, nutty aroma

From a legendary leaf in an emperor's cup to a global culture of mindfulness, tea endures as a bridge between past and present - a quiet ritual that continues to connect people across centuries and continents.