A worker picks tea at a plantation in the southern highlands of Tanzania. The plant originated in what is now China, India and Tibet, and was known to prehistoric man, who used it as a medicine.
First of all, it’s important to understand that there is nothing new about tea. The tea plant originated in the region that now comprises northern India, Tibet and south-west China. Prehistoric man made a relish from the leaves and used it for medicinal purposes. It began to be cultivated about 4,000 years ago and had become a popular drink by 350 A.D. Many people grew it in private gardens but it was thought of as a medicinal drink until the late 6th century.
Around the time of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) tea—cha in Chinese—became a part of daily life in China, but it was not until the 9th century that tea growing was introduced to Japan by a Buddhist priest named Yeisei. He became known as the father of tea in Japan and because of this, tea in Japan became associated with Zen Buddhism. Its use spread quickly from the royal court and monasteries to all areas of society. The Japanese tea ceremony was created and a special form of architecture based on the simplicity of a country cottage produced the tea house.
Hostesses called geishas began to specialize in the presentation of the tea ceremony and, as more people became involved in the excitement surrounding the drink, the purity of the Zen concept was lost. During the 13th and 14th centuries attempts were made to return it to its Zen background but it was not until the mid-1500s that a Buddhist priest, Sen-Ho-Rikkyo, finally set the rigid standards still used today, completely integrating tea into the pattern of Japanese life. Even warlords, it is said, paused for tea before a battle.
Read the entire article in the Summer 2007 issue
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