History of Japanese Tea

Japanese tea culture dates back over 1,200 years, to the Nara (710–794) and Heian (794–1185) periods. Japanese envoys travelling to Tang-dynasty China brought tea seeds and the knowledge of how to grow them back to Japan.

Tea Arrives in Japan

Among those travellers were influential Buddhist monks such as Saichō, Kūkai and Eichū, who introduced tea as part of monastic life. These early seeds are believed to be the origin of Japanese tea.

In 815, the monk Eichū served tea to Emperor Saga, the first recorded mention of tea in Japanese history. Emperor Saga went on to encourage tea cultivation, and tea became a valued part of court culture.

At first, tea was rare, reserved for the imperial court and for Buddhist monks.

Portrait of Saichō, the Japanese Buddhist monk who brought tea seeds from Tang-dynasty China to Japan
Saichō (767–822)

Tea and the Samurai

During the Kamakura period, the monk Myōan Eisai promoted tea culture after studying in China. He wrote Kissa Yōjōki (“Drinking Tea for Health”), which set out tea's health benefits and its spiritual value.

As tea production expanded, tea became popular among the samurai class. Tōcha, tea-tasting competitions, became fashionable, and tea grew into both a social and a cultural ritual.

Portrait of Myōan Eisai, the Japanese Buddhist priest who brought green tea from China to Japan
Myōan Eisai (1141–1215)

The Birth of the Tea Ceremony

From the 15th to the 16th centuries, tea masters such as Murata Jukō, Takeno Jōō and Sen no Rikyū refined the philosophy of wabi-cha, a style that embraced simplicity, humility and natural beauty.

Their teachings laid the foundation for the Japanese tea ceremony as it is practised today. The chawan, the chasen and the way matcha is whisked all trace back to this period.

Portrait of Sen no Rikyū, the tea master who shaped the Japanese tea ceremony
Sen no Rikyū (1522–1591)

The Development of Sencha

In 1738, the tea farmer Nagatani Sōen developed the steaming and rolling method that created modern sencha, now Japan's most widely drunk green tea.

His innovation transformed tea production and put high-quality green tea within reach of everyday people.

Portrait of Nagatani Sōen, the tea farmer who invented the method for making modern sencha
Nagatani Sōen (1681–1778)

From Ancient Roots to Modern Japan

Today's Japanese tea, from ceremonial matcha to everyday sencha, carries centuries of craftsmanship, mindfulness and tradition.

At EdoMatcha we honour that history by sourcing JAS-certified organic Japanese tea directly from trusted farmers, and by shipping it Australia-wide and worldwide. To learn more about the teas themselves, read More about Tea.

Shop Organic Tea Shop Organic Matcha Shop Teaware