A Buddhist monk who crossed the sea to China twice, Eisai (1141–1215) returned home carrying something that would reshape Japanese culture forever: tea seeds, cultivation knowledge, and the Zen ritual of preparing and sharing tea. He was not the first person to bring tea to Japan, but he was the first to bring the complete practice — cultivation methods, the sarei ritual, and a philosophy of tea as medicine — and to spread it beyond temple walls into the wider world. The Kamakura period's tea history begins with him, and nearly every cup of green tea brewed in Japan since traces a line back to what he carried home.
About Eisai
Eisai (1141–1215) started studying the teachings of the Tendai sect as a teenager and visited China twice to study it more deeply. After returning to Japan, Eisai became the founder of the Rinzai sect in Japan.
Eisai had been exposed to the wonders of tea in China and brought back the seeds to Japan. He propagated the Rinzai sect and at the same time spread tea cultivation methods and the culture associated with tea. While being persecuted by the Tendai sect, he endeavored to propagate the Rinzai sect and wrote books such as Kozen Gokoku-ron and Ichidai Kyoron Shaku.
Achievement of Eisai, the Father of Tea
Bringing tea culture to Japan and spreading it
Tea had been brought to Japan since before Eisai was born. So why is Eisai called Japan's "Father of Tea"? Because Eisai brought the tea culture to Japan for the first time — not just the plant, but the complete practice.
The tea brought by Eisai at that time was Tencha (Matcha before grinding), which was popular in China. The method of making and drinking tea was introduced to Japan, and Tencha became the basis of green tea culture. In China, Tencha later became obsolete due to a change of dynasty — but Japan preserved it, and it became Matcha.
Furthermore, Eisai brought back the sarei (ritual) of the Zen sect — drinking tea prepared in a kettle several times a day between practices or at bedtime. In larger events, all participants gathered to share a kettle of tea. This sarei would lead to the tea ceremony later.
Triggering the full-scale cultivation of tea
Eisai created the opportunity for an authentic tea garden in Japan. He brought back knowledge about tea seeds and cultivation when he returned from China and promoted tea cultivation in temples. The awakening effect of tea was highly effective in the strict ascetic practices of Zen.
The seeds and knowledge of tea spread in this way were passed on to Myoe Shonin in Togano, Kyoto, where they developed into an authentic tea garden. The tea from this garden was so highly regarded that Togano's tea was called "honcha (real tea)," while tea from other regions was called "hicha (not real tea)." Myoe would later spread cultivation to Uji — the origin of what became Japan's most prestigious tea region.
Spreading the Rinzai sect in Japan
Eisai spread Zen Buddhism alongside tea cultivation and culture. Tea and Zen were closely linked, and the philosophy of Zen had a great influence on the people who made tea history. The relationship between tea masters and Zen monks of the Rinzai sect — Murata Juko and Ikkyu Sojun, Takeno Joo and Dairin Soto — became an essential part of the history of the tea ceremony.
Wrote Kissa Yojoki, the First Book Specialized in Tea in Japan
Eisai wrote Kissa Yojoki (Drinking Tea for Health Care) to promote tea. This book, consisting of two volumes, was the first specialized book on tea in Japan. It describes not only the medical effects of tea learned in China, but also tea cultivation in detail.
According to the history book Azuma Kagami, Eisai presented Kissa Yojoki to the third shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate, Minamoto no Sanetomo, with tea when he was suffering from a hangover. This gift to the ruling military class was a key moment in tea's acceptance among the samurai.
Tea Culture from the Heian to the Kamakura Period
During the Heian period, tea was used in religious events and ceremonies in the Imperial Court. Tea was a special drink and medicine that only monks and aristocrats could drink. After that, it gradually changed to something to "enjoy" drinking at waka and renga recitations. The Nara and Heian period history covers this background.
In the Kamakura period (1185–1333), tea ceremony rituals called sarei — which Eisai brought back from China — began to be held in Zen temples. Drinking tea also became popular among the samurai class as a social tool. The "cha-yoriai" (gathering to drink tea) became common, and in the late Kamakura period, "tocha" — the game of guessing the place of origin by drinking tea — became popular.
Eisai is not the first person to bring tea back to Japan. However, Eisai brought Zen and tea together, and spread both throughout the country, leading them to combine and develop into the present chanoyu. This is why Eisai is called the "Father of Tea." His legacy through Myoe Shonin gave rise to Nara's own tea history as well as Uji's.
At Far East Tea Company, we carry teas rooted in the same traditions that figures like Eisai helped shape. To find teas rooted in this tradition, visit our matcha collection.