History of Japanese tea: Edo period

The Edo period (1603-1867) was a very important period in the history of Japanese tea, with the development of Gyokuro and the start of export of Japanese tea.

In this article, I’m going to explain the history of tea in the Edo period.

Development of Sencha and Gyokuro

Uji in Kyoto had been growing tea since ancient times, but in the late 16th century, a unique method of growing tea called “the covered cultivation” was invented and succeeded in producing highly flavored tea.

However, this method of growing tea leaves under covers was not permitted for everyone, and was only applicable to houses with a limited position.

Under such circumstances, NAGATANI Soen (1681-1778) developed a new production method for Sencha (steeped green tea).

After a great deal of trial and error, he came up with the idea of a production method called “a method for producing green Sencha” in 1738.

It is a method of tea production by drying tea leaves in a drying oven and kneading them by hands.

By this method, green tea with much better taste, aroma and color can be produced.

Later, when Soen took the tea to Edo, YAMAMOTO Kahee, a tea dealer in Nihonbashi, praised it very much.

Soen's tea was sold through YAMAMOTO Kahee, and since then it has spread to various places along with the production method.

In 1835, the sixth generation, YAMAMOTO Kahee created the tea that was described as “taste like honeydew” and Gyokuro that is still popular today was born.

What kind of tea was drunk in the Edo period?

In the Edo period, the culture of drinking tea was widespread among the common people.

According to researcher NISHIMURA Toshinori, the types of tea familiar to the common people gradually became more sophisticated from dark brown coarse tea to yellowish green tea.

The type of tea used to be drunk differs a little depending upon the family and social status, but there is no doubt that there was such a transition.

Modernization of tea distribution

The Edo period was also a time when distribution systems such as wholesalers, brokers, and retailers were developed that are similar to those of today.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the development of the distribution system was one of the factors that led to the spread of tea production throughout Japan.

It is a well-known fact that Japan had a policy of seclusion during the Edo period, but only Dejima (island) of Nagasaki was allowed to trade.

In fact, tea was an important export there and the basis of foreign trade.

At the time of the unequal treaties with the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries, 181 tons of tea was exported.

For this reason, tea was recognized as a useful export item for earning foreign currency even in the Meiji period (1868-1912).

Green tea has become the national drink for the Japanese, but it was originally introduced from China in the late Nara period (710-794).

In this article I’m going to explain the history of Japanese tea in the Nara and Heian periods.

The introduction of tea

It is said tea was introduced to Japan about 1,200 years ago and when monks who had studied in China such as Saicho, Kukai, and Eichu, brought back solid tea called “Heicha” from China.

The earliest record of tea drinking is found in Nihon Koki, which records that Eichu offered tea to Emperor Saga in 815.

As a result, Emperor Saga decided to have tea grown in areas such as Yamato and Harima in June of the same year and ordered it to be offered every year.

This was the beginning of tea cultivation in Japan.

The tea drunk before the Heian period

As mentioned above, the earliest record of tea drinking can be found in 815, during the Heian period (794-1185), but it is believed the tea was drunk even before that.

This is because there is a material that shows there were already tea utensils in the late Nara period.

In other words, tea had already introduced to Japan through the Japanese envoys to the Tang dynasty at that time.

However, the tea of this period was a drink for the upper classes and was not available to the common people.

What is Heicha (Dancha)?

The type of tea that was drunk in the Nara and Heian periods was called “Heicha (Dancha)”.

Heicha is a kind of tea that is made from steamed tea leaves into powder and solidified like Mochi (rice cake) at the finishing stage.

When Japanese people drank it, they would cut off the necessary amount, roasted it with a fire, then powdered it and put it in hot water to drink.

Later, Dancha, a solid tea made with a mortar to finely grind the tea leaves, was also introduced, but Heicha and Dancha had a disadvantage of having a strong smell.

As a result, Heicha and Dancha did not suit Japanese tastes and gradually faded away.

In the Meiji period (1868-1912), tea was exported in large quantities as an important means of earning foreign currency.

In this article I’m going to introduce the history of tea in the Meiji and Taisho (1912-1926) periods and the mechanization of tea production. 

Tea has become a major industry in Japan

During the Meiji to Taisho period, tea was regarded as an important export item for Japan.

That was triggered by the signing of the Treaties of Amity with Europe and the United States in the Edo period.

At that time, as much as 181 tons of tea was exported overseas from Dejima (island) of Nagasaki as a trading window.

Even after the Meiji Restoration, tea continued to dominate the export market, with an export volume of 20,000 tons.

Achievements of OTANI Kahee

OTANI Kahee made the greatest contribution to the development of the tea industry in the Meiji period.

He was originally the largest tea seller in Yokohama, but in 1894 he established Japan Tea Products Corporation.

He thoroughly managed the quality of exported tea, and when the United States imposed tariffs on tea, he went to the United States to carry out a campaign to eliminate the tariffs on tea production.

He devoted his life to the promotion of Japan's tea industry.

The mechanization of tea production

I have already mentioned that tea was an important means of earning foreign currency in Japan.

However, Japan at that time had no manufacturing means to meet the rapidly increasing demand yet.

Therefore, in the Meiji period, mechanization was promoted to produce tea efficiently.

In particular, TAKABAYASHI Kenzo played an important role in the mechanization of tea.

He was originally a doctor, but later became an inventor in the tea industry.

In 1884, he manufactured a tea roasting machine and other products, and in 1896 he completed a roughing machine that greatly improved the efficiency of the work previously done by hand kneading.

In addition, hand scissors were also invented to improve the efficiency of the harvest, which gradually made the mass production of tea for export possible.

Development of Makinohara Plateau in Shizuoka

Even today, Shizuoka Prefecture is one of the leading tea producing areas in Japan, but the cultivation of Makinohara Plateau in the Meiji Period triggered this.

Originally, the Makinohara Plateau had been empty land until the end of the Edo period, but it was reclaimed because the demand for tea increased rapidly as the export of tea started.

The people who worked to cultivate the land were the warrior clans who had lost their jobs due to the Meiji Restoration.

However, the warrior clans were fed up with unaccustomed hoes and hard work, and gradually broke away.

From then on, the work was handed over to the river ferryman, but they were unable to endure the hard work and poverty, and many people dropped out.

It is thanks to the hard work and efforts of such people that we are able to enjoy good quality tea in Shizuoka even today.

History of Japanese tea: Muromachi and Azuchi-Momoyama periods

Japan's tea ceremony culture flourished during the Muromachi period (1336-1573) and the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1573-1603).

The foundation of modern tea ceremony was formed by the activities of tea masters such as MURATA Juko, TAKENO Jyoo, and SEN no Rikyu.

In this article, I’m going to introduce their achievements and the overview of Wabicha.

The great achievement of the tea ceremony

“Chanoyu (the tea ceremony)” means to invite guests and entertain them at a cup of tea.

Today, it is generally called “Sado” but the term Sado came to be used to refer to art in the Edo period. “Chanoyu” was the mainstream name in the Muromachi and Azuchi-Momoyama periods.

MURATA Juko, TAKENO Jyoo, and SEN no Rikyu are some of the people who achieved great success in Chanoyu.

Let's take a quick look back at the achievements of these three people.

MURATA Juko

MURATA Juko (1423-1502) was a master of the tea ceremony in the Muromachi Period.

Originally, Juko was an apprentice at a temple, but he didn't get involved in ascetic practices, so he went to Kyoto and started the tea ceremony.

One of Juko’s achievements is that he created a unique style of decorating a four-and-a-half Japanese tatami room with carefully selected specialties, while paying close attention to the tea ceremony utensils, the paintings and calligraphy used to decorate the teahouse.

He said, “It is good to have good tea utensils in a poor space”. It can be said that the foundation of the tea ceremony, which loves simplicity was formed here.

TAKENO Jyoo

TAKENO Jyoo (1502-1555) was also a master of the tea ceremony in the Muromachi period, like MURATA Juko.

TAKENO Jyoo was originally an influential merchant of Sakai, but at the age of 27, he learned waka and renga (Japanese poetry) from a nobleman named SANJYONISHI Sanetaka.

After that, he intended to become a priest and master renga even more, but he turned his attention to the tea ceremony, which was emerging as a new art at that time, and decided to take lessons from Juko's disciples.

The great achievement of TAKENO Jyoo was not to limit the tools to decorate the teahouse to Chinese ones, but to freely decorate the imported goods from Nanban and the things made in Japan.

It can be said that his achievements were very significant in that he stopped sticking to tradition and added more creativity to the tea ceremony.

SEN no Rikyu

SEN no Rikyu (1522-91) was a master of the tea ceremony in the Muromachi and Azuchi-Momoyama periods, and is commonly known as the great master of Chanoyu.

He started practicing the tea ceremony in his teens, and in his 40s he was serving ODA Nobunaga through the introduction of a friend.

After the death of ODA Nobunaga, he served TOYOTOMI Hideyoshi who became the ruler of Japan, but he was forced to commit seppuku and died an unnatural death.

As already mentioned, MURATA Juko and TAKENO Jyoo had built the foundation of the tea ceremony, but SEN no Rikyu’s tea ceremony was a further refinement of them.

His style of tea ceremony can be summed up as “ultimate simplicity”.

SEN no Rikyu made the original four-and-a-half tatami teahouse even smaller and completely removed the glittering decorations.

As a result, the spirit of the tea ceremony that values simplicity, which is popular even today, was achieved.

What is “Wabicha”?

SEN no Rikyu is often called “the great master of Wabicha”.

The word Wabicha, in dictionary terms, refers to “the tea ceremony that values the state of wabi.” (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, Second Edition).

It is difficult to explain the spirit of wabi in one word, but to put it simply, it means “a spirit that celebrates imperfection and simplicity”.

For example, SEN no Rikyu removed extraneous or luxurious things from a teahouse to the utmost extent, and conducted tea ceremonies using tea utensils that looked shabby at first glance.

Let go of your obsession with everything and find true beauty in simplicity.

It can be said that the purpose of reaching this state of mind is “Wabicha”.

The promotion of Uji tea

SEN no Rikyu preferred “Uji tea”.

It is said that Uji tea originated when monk Myoe Shonin sowed tea seeds in Uji, but in the late 16th century, a new cultivation method called “covered cultivation” was developed in Uji.

The tea leaves grown under the cover had a vivid dark green color and a strong umami.

SEN no Rikyu liked such Uji tea and positioned it as the best tea.

In addition, what was drunk at that time was not Sencha (steeped green tea) like today, but Matcha dried without rolling tea leaves.

During the Kamakura period (1185-1333), Matcha, which we are familiar with, came to be drunk frequently.

In this article, I’m going to introduce the spread of green tea cultivation in the Kamakura period and the culture of “Tocha” in the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (1333-1392).

The beginning of green tea cultivation

Generally, it has been said that the origin of tea cultivation is that Zen monk Eisai (1141- 1215) brought back tea seeds from China and planted them on Mt. Sefuri in Fukuoka Prefecture.

However, actual historical documents show that Emperor Saga had already had tea grown in various places during the Heian period.

Popularization of tea in Kyoto and the eastern part of Japan

As mentioned above, Eisai was not the first person to cultivate tea in Japan.

However, he played an important role in “spreading tea to Kyoto and the eastern part of Japan”.

When Eisai built Kennin-ji (Temple) in Kyoto and became its chief priest, he gave tea to a monk called Myoe Shonin.

Myoe Shonin planted it in the precincts of Umeo Kozan-ji (Temple) and cultivated it, and sowed its seeds in Uji, Kyoto.

This is said to be the origin of the famous “Uji tea”.

Eisai also served as the chief priest of Jufuku-ji (Temple) in Kamakura (just south of Tokyo), and it is said that this led to the spread of tea in the eastern part of Japan.

What is Kissa Yojoki ?

Another great achievement of Eisai was that he wrote the first tea book in Japan, titled Kissa Yojoki (Drinking Tea for Health care).

Kissa Yojoki was originally written as a medical book, and it is a book about the medicinal benefits of tea, tea cultivation methods, and tea drinking methods.

According to the history book Azuma Kagami, the book was presented to the third shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate, MINAMOTO no Sanetomo, with tea when he was suffering from a hangover.

What is Tencha?

In the Nara and Heian periods, solid tea, called “Heicha (Dancha)” was drunk mainly, but in the Kamakura period, “Tencha” became the mainstream tea.

To put it simply, Tencha is a tea which is the raw material of Matcha.

Matcha is made by grinding Tencha with a mortar and making it into fine powders.

At that time, Matcha was used by Zen monks to repel the drowsiness that came during their practice and fix their minds on it.

What is Tocha?

In the Kamakura period (1185-1333), samurai and nobles began to enjoy green tea as a social occasion.

To entertain guests, they decorated paintings and vases from China and brewed tea using Tang Dynasty tea utensils.

Around 1320, the custom of drinking tea in social gatherings became more amusing and developed into a “Tocha” which is the practice of guessing the place of origin by drinking tea.

In the beginning, Tocha was simply a matter of guessing whether the tea was from “Honcha” brought by Myoe Shonin or from another region.

However, by the beginning of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, it gradually became more radical, bringing in alcohol, and food and gambling.

In the end, Tocha was banned by the law called “Kenmu Code” issued by ASHIKAGA Takauji.