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| History of Japanese Green Tea |
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| Flower of
the Cameria Sinensis plant |
The Scientific name for the tea plant which green tea is made from is Cameria
sinensis. It is in the Cameria family of plants. If left to its own devices,
the tea plant produces wonderful attractive red or white flowers. Chinese
discovered tea trees more than 2000 years ago. Chinese found that
these trees could make a drink and made huge plantations. They created
a good tasting drink. Green tea was introduced to Japan in approximately
the 6th century and was thought to be used as medicine rather than a drink.
By the 9th century it had become a drink that was very popular among the
high society in Japan.
Japanese Priests, including Zen priest Myoan Eisai, who were sent to China
to study its culture are thought to have brought back green tea and seeds
with them. Zen priest Myoan Eisai later wrote the famous book "Kissa
Yojoki (health benefits of Tea)" which detailed the health benefits
one can receive when drinking green tea.
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| Zen priest Myoan Eisai |
A few centuries (13th-16th centuries) later the Samurai society were
introduced to drinking green tea by priests. The priests insisted that
green tea had great health benefits, so it became very popular among the
Samurai society. The Samurai invented a game called "To-cha" which was
a game where Samurai tasted various green tea and had to guess which area
of Japan it was from, often involving heavy betting.
The "Chanoyu" (The Japanese tea ceremony) came about in the Muromachi
period (1392-1573) many green tea tools and cups began to be produced
and many Japanese green tea gardens were established. The green tea culture
flourished.
Ordinary people began to enjoy green tea from the Edo period (1600-1867).
Also green tea production had developed and become more wide spread in
the Edo period. Green tea was produced in many places and started spreading
nationwide and most ordinary people (even the poor) could drink green
tea.
The green tea sold in Edo (Tokyo) was produced in Sunsyu (Shizuoka prefecture),
Sinsyu (Nagano prefecture), Yasyuu (Saitama prefecture) and Osyu (Touhoku
prefecture). Production areas and production relationships begun to exist.
In the 18th century a new way of making Sencha emerged. Rather than the
green tea being ground and boiling it was now pressed, rolled, dried and
sold as loose leaf tea.
By the 19th century machines started to take the place of handmade green
tea. This reduced the labour which was needed in the processing stage
and increased the production efficiency. Up until the early 20th century Japanese green tea was considered to be organic.
Unfortunately, in Japan in the 1950's a wave of chemical pesticides, fertilizers and chemical agents were introduced onto the Japanese market which promised bigger harvests, more harvests in one year, reduced labor, and less necessity for expertise. Hundreds of years of knowledge and wisdom were lost and for many a completely new way of tea farming commenced.
Fortunately, for those who are wise enough to seek organically cultivated green tea, a minority of Japanese tea farmers continued farming in the traditional manner in the 1950’s, and now a growing number of present day Japanese tea farmers that have experienced the dangers of conventional tea farming first hand are beginning to back track to traditional ways of tea farming.
Therefore, today we can still enjoy the traditionally flavored high quality organic green teas of Japan which were and still are light, refreshing, and clean tasting.
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