An old man carried a portable tea set to the scenic spots of Kyoto and brewed Sencha for whoever came. He charged what people could afford, or nothing at all. That man was Baisao, and the style of tea he lived by helped lay the foundation for senchado. His story belongs to the Edo period.
Baisao and Koyugai — The Man Behind the Name
Baisao (1675–1763) was born to a doctor of the Hasuike domain (present Saga Prefecture). At 11, he became a monk under Kerin Osho at the Obaku sect's Ryushin-ji temple, taking the monastic name Gekkai Gensho. In 1731, at 57, he entrusted the temple to his fellow monk Daicho and went to Kyoto. In 1735, at 61, he established Tsusentei in Higashiyama and began selling tea. Late in life, he left the priesthood and took the name Koyugai. He died in 1763 at 89.
The name Koyugai came later, through a misunderstanding that he found amusing. When asked about his way of life, he said he was living at ease, but his listener heard him describe an elegantly refined existence. Amused by the misreading, he took the name Koyugai in his later years.
People affectionately called him "Baisao," or "old tea seller." The name became better known than his monastic name. He continued selling Sencha until his retirement in later life.
Tsusentei: A Tea House Without Walls
After going to Kyoto in 1731, Baisao opened Tsusentei in Higashiyama in 1735 — a name evoking a "tea pavilion for becoming an immortal" — and began selling Sencha. He left the priesthood later in life.
The signboard of Tsusentei read: "Tea money: from a hundred itsu of gold down to half a mon, whatever you care to give. You may drink for free. I cannot make it any cheaper than free." A hundred itsu of gold was said to equal 2,000 ryō in koban coins. Baisao wanted anyone, regardless of means, to be able to drink tea.
Tsusentei was not a conventional business. Baisao also took his portable tea set to Kyoto's scenic spots and served tea to people there. The tea came to the people, not the other way around.
What Baisao Built: The Foundation of Senchado
Baisao disliked what the tea ceremony had become in his day: a formal practice tied to power. He looked instead to Lu Yu and Lu Tong of the Tang dynasty, treating tea as a source of honest pleasure rather than a performance of status. His stripped-down approach to Sencha spread beyond elite circles and eventually took shape as Senchado, the way of Sencha.
Baisao became a well-known figure among Kyoto's artists and literati. Among Baisao's contemporaries who gathered at Tsusentei were artists like Ito Jakuchu (1716–1800) and the poet-painter Yosa Buson (1716–1784). Later figures — Watanabe Kazan, Rai Sanyo, Tanomura Chikuden — were born after Baisao died, but inherited the spirit of tea he had spread and supported the later growth of senchado. Tea could be a space of genuine encounter, without barriers of rank.
The Burning of the Tea Utensils
Late in life, sensing that death was near, Baisao stopped selling tea and burned his own tea utensils.
He did not want the utensils to pass into other hands and be bought and sold after his death; he believed that would grieve the utensils themselves. Burning them expressed his love for his tools.
Why Baisao Still Matters
After his move to Kyoto, tea sales became his livelihood. Late in life, he left the priesthood. He chose Sencha over Matcha as an alternative to the formalism that had come to surround chanoyu. He welcomed people of different backgrounds to share tea.
People from across Kyoto society gathered around him, from ordinary townspeople to artists and writers. Over tea, they found space for conversation and shared a moment beyond the demands of daily life.
Baisao's idea — that good tea should be open to everyone — is something we value at Far East Tea Company. In our article about Sencha, we introduce the tea he chose and how to brew it.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Baisao born, and what was his family background?
Baisao (1675–1763) was born to a doctor of the Hasuike domain, in what is now Saga Prefecture. He died in 1763 at the age of 89.
What was Baisao's real name?
His monk name was Gekkai Gensho. He later adopted the name Koyugai, derived from a playful misreading of something he said about himself. “Baisao,” meaning “old tea seller,” was an affectionate nickname that stuck.
Why did Baisao choose Sencha over Matcha?
Baisao rejected the formalism of chanoyu, the Matcha-based tea ceremony, which had become closely tied to social hierarchy and political power by the Edo period. Sencha offered a simpler, more direct relationship with the leaf — closer to what he admired in Tang-dynasty Chinese tea culture.
What happened to his tea utensils after he died?
Late in life, sensing that death was near, Baisao stopped selling tea and burned his own tea utensils. He did not want them to pass into other hands and be bought and sold after his death; he believed that would grieve the utensils themselves. Burning them expressed his love for his tools.
What is the relationship between Baisao and Senchado?
Baisao was the practitioner who spread Sencha beyond elite circles and whose spirit became the source of what later took shape as Senchado, the way of Sencha. Later figures inherited the spirit of tea he had spread and supported the later growth of senchado.
