History of Japanese Tea

Japanese tea was first introduced from China in the Nara period (710–794 CE), initially used in temples for meditation and medicine. In the Kamakura period (1185–1333 CE), Zen monk Eisai brought back tea seeds from Song China and spread powdered green tea among monks and samurai. By the Muromachi period (1336–1573 CE), competitive tea-tasting and lavish displays of Chinese art objects had become fashionable, known as “shoin-style tea.” In contrast, Sen no Rikyū (1522–1591) emphasized the aesthetics of wabi and sabi: wabi finds richness in simplicity and imperfection, while sabi appreciates quiet beauty in the passage of time. His small tea huts and rustic gardens in Kyoto embodied harmony with nature and the spirit of ichi-go ichi-e—treasuring each encounter as once in a lifetime—transforming tea into a path of self-reflection. His legacy continued through the three Sen families—Omotesenke, Urasenke, and Mushakōjisenke—which still shape Japanese values of wa-kei-sei-jaku (harmony, respect, purity, tranquility) today.