Kūkai (空海) is a famous historical figure in Japan. He founded the Shingon School of Buddhism (真言宗) and along with a fellow monk named Saichō, brought tea seeds to...
Sugiyama Hikosaburo: The Discoverer of Yabukita
If you’re into Japanese tea, you may have heard about the Yabukita cultivar. This tea cultivar was instrumental in the prosperity of the Japanese tea industry. It’s the most...
Murata Jukō
Murata Jukō (村田珠光), born in Nara in 1423, is known as the founder of the Japanese tea ceremony. He entered priesthood in the Jōdō sect at an early age...
The Story of Ikkyu
The Buddhist monk Ikkyū Sōjun (一休宗純) is credited for imparting a Zen influence into the arts of Japan. Of course, this includes Japanese tea. Ikkyū’s disciple, Murata Jukō, would...
Nagatani Soen: The Inventor of Sencha
Although sencha is one of the most famous Japanese teas, it wasn’t invented until the 18th century. It’s hard to imagine now, but loose leaf tea in Japan was...
Myoue Shounin: The Beginning of Tea in Uji
Myoue Shounin (Myōe Shōnin, 明恵上人) was a Japanese Buddhist monk that lived from 1173－1232. “Shounin” is a title, which can be translated as “high priest”. Myoue is remembered for...
Eisai: The Monk that Propagated Tea Culture in Japan
Myouan Eisai (Myōan Eisai, 明菴栄西) is best known for bringing the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism to Japan. He also played a prominent role in Japanese tea history because...
Tea Seeds First Brought to Japan Inside their Fruits?
I saw an interesting article on a Japanese web page about how tea seeds where first brought to Japan from China. You can find the article here, but it’s...
The First Japanese Emperor to Encourage the Cultivation of Tea
Legend says that Emperor Saga (嵯峨天皇) was the first Japanese emperor to drink tea. We can’t be sure if he was really the first one to drink it, but...
History of Green Tea
Green tea has become an important part of the Japanese culture. It has so much demand in Japan that you can find canned and bottled green tea wherever you...