Puntogf Antiques.

Japanese Tea

The History of Tea

The Origin of Tea Legend

The tea story begins in China around 5,000 years ago. Legend has it that the emperor Shen Nung was a scientist and lover of the arts. One of his proclamations required that all drinking water be boiled as a hygienic precaution. One day while visiting in the countryside of his far-reaching realm, he and the court stopped to rest. In accordance with his law, the servants began to boil water for the court to drink. Dried leaves from a bush fell into the boiling water, and a brown liquid was infused into the water. As a scientist, the emperor became intrigued by the liquid, drank some, and found it very appetizing. The bush happened to be a tea plant and this is how tea was created.

The Chinese

After the creation of tea, consumption spread throughout the Chinese culture. In 800 A.D. Lu Yu wrote the first book on tea, the Ch'a Ching. Utilizing his vast memory of observed events and places, he classified the differing methods of tea cultivation and preparation in ancient China. His work was so explicit and complete that it projected him into near sainthood within his own lifetime. Supported by the emperor himself, his work clearly showed the Zen Buddhist philosophy to which he was exposed as a child. It was this form of tea service that Zen Buddhist missionaries would later introduce to imperial Japan.

The Japanese

The first tea seeds were brought to Japan by the Buddhist priest Yeisei, who had seen the value of tea in China in enhancing religious mediation. As a result, he is known as the "Father of Tea" in Japan. Because of this partnership, tea in Japan has always been associated with Zen Buddhism.

Tea was heightened to an art form resulting in the creation of the Japanese Tea Ceremony, Cha-no-yu. Irish-Greek journalist and historian Lafcadio Hearn described this ceremony: "The Tea ceremony requires years of training and practice to graduate in art...yet the whole of this art, as to its detail, signifies no more than the making and serving of a cup of tea. The supremely important matter is that the act be performed in the most perfect, most polite, most graceful, most charming manner possible".

As more people became involved in the excitement surrounding tea, the purity of the original Zen concept was lost. The tea ceremony became corrupted, excessive and very elaborate. Three great Zen priests restored tea to its original place in Japanese society: Ikkyu, a prince who became a priest and was successful in guiding the nobles away from their corruption of the tea ceremony, Murata Shuko, the student of Ikkyu and very influential in reintroducing the Tea ceremony into Japanese society and Sen-no Rikkyu, a priest who set the rigid standards for the ceremony, largely used intact today.

About the Author

Corine Graham is the creator and webmaster of The-Zen.fr.

An online international boutique with over 170 varieties of teas, herbal teas, rooibos and related accessories.

Japanese Woodblock, Tea Ceremony $14.99 Japanese Woodblock, Tea Ceremony - Premium Poster

Japanese Tea Garden, WA $24.99 Jim Corwin Japanese Tea Garden, WA - Photographic Print

The Japanese Tea House $19.99 Harry Humphrey Moore The Japanese Tea House - Giclee Print

Oolong Tea Served with Japanese Tea Set $19.99 Bruno Ehrs Oolong Tea Served with Japanese Tea Set - Photographic Print

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Japanese Tea Garden, Coronado, California $39.99 Japanese Tea Garden, Coronado, California - Giclee Print

The Ideologies of Japanese Tea $105 This provoking study of the Japanese tea ceremony (chanoyu) examines the ideological foundation of its place in history and the broader context of Japanese cultural values where it has emerged as a so-called quintessential' component of the culture. Sen Soshitsu Xl argued that tea be viewed as the expression of the moral universe of the nation.

Artificial Japanese Tea Leaf Bonsai Tree $39.95 Artificial Japanese Tea Leaf bonsai tree.

Ashby's Japanese Green Tea 25ct $9.5 Ashby's Japanese Green Tea 25ct box allow you to prepare 25 single cups of rich, toasty green tea when you make Ashby's Tea.

The Japanese Way of Tea $18.67 The author follows tea drinking practices from their arrival in Japan to the time of Rikyu, considering at each stage the relevant historical changes and their significance for the Way of Tea. Shortly after its arrival during the Heian era (794-1185), tea

The Japanese Tea Garden $44.76 In this richly illustrated volume, designer Marc Peter Keane looks at how social, religious, aesthetic, and philosophical influences combined over hundreds of years to produce one of the world's most transcendent forms of landscape art. The Japanese tea g

Japanese Tea Garden $100.05 Marc Peter Keane designed gardens in Japan for 20 years. Here he shares the fruits of that experience in a beautiful and inspiring book that explains just what the Japanese tea garden is, how it originated, and how it is used today. He also provides plenty of design ideas. And the book is profusely illustrated with glorious photographs.

Tea Growing Land Which Was Cut over by Japanese $69.99 Tea Growing Land Which Was Cut over by Japanese - Photographic Print

Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco, California $39.99 Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco, California - Giclee Print

The First Tea of the Year, Japanese Wood-Cut Print $19.99 The First Tea of the Year, Japanese Wood-Cut Print - Premium Poster

Overhead of Traditional Japanese Noodles and Oolong Tea $124.99 Karl Blackwell Overhead of Traditional Japanese Noodles and Oolong Tea - Wall Mural

Japanese Tea Garden View - Coronado, CA $49.99 Japanese Tea Garden View - Coronado, CA - Framed Art Print

Foreigners at a Tea House, Japanese Wood-Cut Print $49.99 Foreigners at a Tea House, Japanese Wood-Cut Print - Framed Art Print

View of Japanese Tea Garden - San Francisco, CA $49.99 View of Japanese Tea Garden - San Francisco, CA - Framed Art Print

View of the Japanese Tea Garden - Pacific Grove, CA $49.99 View of the Japanese Tea Garden - Pacific Grove, CA - Framed Art Print

Japanese Tea Garden, Pacific Grove, California $49.99 Japanese Tea Garden, Pacific Grove, California - Giclee Print

Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco, CA $24.99 Daniel McGarrah Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco, CA - Photographic Print

Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco, California, USA $24.99 Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco, California, USA - Photographic Print

Tea $15.95 From chai to oolong to sencha, tea is one of the world’s most popular beverages. Perhaps that is because it is a unique and adaptable drink, consumed in many different varieties by cultures across the globe and in many different settings, from the intricate traditions of Japanese teahouses to the elegant tearooms of Britain to the verandas of the deep South.      In Tea food historian Helen Saberi explores this rich and fascinating history. Saberi looks at the economic and social uses of tea, such as its use as a currency during the Tang Dynasty and 1913 creation of a tea dance called “Thé Dansant” that combined tea and tango. Saberi also explores where and how tea is grown around the world and how customs and traditions surrounding the beverage have evolved from its legendary origins to its present-day popularity. Featuring vivid images of teacups, plants, tearooms, and teahouses as well as recipes for both drinking tea and using it as a flavoring, Tea will engage the senses while providing a history of tea and its uses.

Japanese/Thai tea commerical with caterpillars