Tenshin Okakura (岡倉天心, 1863-1913) a Meiji era thinker, introduced in “The Book of Tea (茶の本, 1906)” that the tea ceremony embodies the deep spiritual culture of Japan, and is not simply the act of drinking tea or a ceremonial procedure.
The Book of Tea is a collection of lectures that Tenshin gave in the United States. It was originally published in English in New York, but was translated into Japanese in 1929, after Tenshin’s death.
At the time, the world was undergoing rapid waves of modernization and was immersed in the pursuit of productivity and material things, so in this book Tenshin sought to convey the importance of the spirituality and ideas that Japanese people inherently possess, such as compassion and reverence for nature.
In this book, tea refers to an integration of all information related to tea, from the tea drink to the tea room and the ritual leading up to drinking the tea, and it is said that there is a lot to learn from drinking a cup of tea in a tea room. This is because it is based on “the uniquely Japanese idea of viewing extremely mundane activities such as the act of drinking tea, a mundane matter among mundane things, as the ultimate art and religion.”
Japanese tea culture is influenced by Taoism and Zen, and there are two fundamental principles.
1. Taoism (道教) – Surrender to nature, accept imperfection (emptiness)
2. Zen (禅) – Recognize the greatness of small things
Emptiness (虚 – kyo) in Laozi and Zhuangzi thought means vanity (空 – kuu, naught, nothing), and all that is truly essential can only be found within emptiness, not the objects themselves.
The same is true for ink painting (水墨画, suibokuga) and flower arrangements (生け花, ikebana), where emphasis is placed on the viewer completing the work themselves by leaving blank spaces that maintain the overall harmony.
In any case, emptiness contains truth and infinite possibilities, and the tea room, as a space for enjoying tea, is a space where one can truly experience vanity, where the host who is hosting and the invited guest become one and complete a moment as a work of art.
A tea room is simple and without any notable ornaments, but it is precisely because of its simplicity that one can sense the space and gain a sense of unity. And in the space of the tea room where this encounter takes place, a fresh sense of unity is created each time, a once-in-a-lifetime encounter that can never be recreated again.
Zen recognizes the greatness of the small things in everyday life as being as important as religious rituals, but it teaches that distinctions between big and small are inconsequential when viewed from the perspective of the vast interrelationships that connect things in this world, that within a single atom there is contained potential equal to the entire universe, and that it is important to appreciate the reality before one’s eyes as irreplaceable, so even the act of drinking a cup of tea can lead to seeing the truth of the infinite universe.
Tea rooms (茶室, chashitsu) are sometimes called sukiya (数寄屋), and there are several meanings behind this.
1. Favorite house (好き家, sukiya) = a building based on the tastes and aesthetic sense of a tea master
2. Empty house (空き家, sukiya) = a building as an empty space with infinite possibilities
3. Sukiya (数寄屋) = an asymmetrical building
Rather than striving for perfection or symmetry in the building itself as in Western architecture, they believe that by deliberately incorporating imperfection based on asymmetry, such as by offsetting shelves, the tea master’s mind is stimulated and activated.
The tea room, as an unfinished form of beauty, is meticulously designed to evoke thoughts of the workings of nature, with the garden and paths leading up to the tea room, the hanging scrolls and seasonal flowers displayed inside the tea room, and even the sound of the tea kettle. It is an art form through tea that never asserts itself, but rather blends with nature, reaching a beautiful yet foolish state of oneness between self and other.
By leaving behind a reality full of absurdity, self-interest, and attachment, and emptying oneself, one may have the opportunity to reach a comfortable state of emptiness where truth based on purity resides, but rather than being static or immobile, this state may be filled with what Nietzsche calls Dionysian dynamism and vitality.
The spirit of tea emphasizes the idea that ethics reside where beauty is born, and this means that beautiful behavior is itself an ethical attitude, and ethical consideration is accompanied by beauty. Thus, the connection between aesthetic sense and ethics is further refined through harmony between people and nature.
These ideas relating to tea and the tea room are said to have been inherited by Japanese people deep within their psychology and are of unconscious awareness.
In the field of marketing, it is said that consumers’ product choices are sometimes influenced not only by conscious factors but also by unconscious factors that they themselves are not aware of.
When researching or developing a product or building a marketing strategy, two types of consumption patterns are usually assumed.
1. Consumption of the object itself, which is an act of satisfying the basic desire to maintain survival through the process of physically consuming its functions.
2. Consumption of the object in a social sense, which is an act of satisfying the derivative desire of differentiation by showing the symbolic meaning of the object to others.
For example, the motivation for purchasing a car as an object itself is simply as a means of transportation. However, on the other hand, there is consumption in a social sense, which can be for status, to show hobbies, intelligence, good taste, or to use as a prop. In this case, in addition to consumption that has only a material meaning as a means of transportation, various desires are also involved.
In other words, consumer behavior is not simply a physical purchase; consumers unconsciously project themselves onto each product, choosing it as a proxy or symbol of hidden or latent desires, and choosing it to represent the social status and role that are essential to self-presentation.
Similarly, when it comes to tea, it is not something that is chosen casually, rationally, and realistically as a simple beverage; it is said that the consumer’s subconscious is deeply involved in the product selection process in order to satisfy motives that the consumer himself is not even aware of.
In short, people do not only seek the function and value of tea itself as a beverage, but also use it as an essential prop for self-realization based on a lifestyle that reflects various unconscious desires, as a display of a person’s identity and taste, and as an expression of their intellect, personality, and lifestyle.
Even just listing some of the things that come to mind when choosing tea, the options are simply enormous.
* Place of origin or location of the field
* Time, altitude, or season when the leaves were harvested
* Tea to be infused or boiled, or to drink powdered leaves
* Compressed tea, loose leaf tea, or powdered tea
* Leaves from tall or low trees
* Degree of fermentation or unfermented, i.e. Green tea, white tea, yellow tea, blue tea, black tea, or dark tea
* Differences due to tea plant growing methods or tea leaf manufacturing processes
* Subtle bitterness or mellow sweetness
* Deep aroma or astringency
* Freshness or a healthy impression
* Contains or does not contain caffeine
* Relaxing pale color or deep and rich color
* Fresh green aroma or aged flavor
* Loses weight or is good for dieting
* Flower tea or tea made from something other than tea leaves
and so on.
In any case, tea contains many attractive elements that can motivate a purchase. On top of that, Japanese people unconsciously project their self-image and emotions onto the spiritual traditional culture that has been passed down since ancient times, and are drawn to products that they perceive as having attractive elements that resonate with them, which is said to be the motive behind their choices when purchasing tea.
Although tea drinking habits may vary from region to region, many ethnic groups consider drinking tea to be an essential physiological need, as tea also has the effect of supplementing dietary or nutritional balance.
Foods such as beef or lamb meat and milk are hot, greasy, and difficult to digest, but tea leaves are rich in vitamins, tannins, caffeine, and other nutrients, so they can compensate for nutritional deficiencies caused by a lack of fruit and vegetables. In addition, the large amount of essential oils contained in tea dissolves animal fats, lowers cholesterol, and strengthens blood vessel walls, so the health benefits of tea leaves can help compensate for dietary deficiencies.
Tea also has a positive effect on hygiene, and drinking hot tea kills bacteria and reduces the chance of infection with intestinal and blood parasites. It is because of this effect that tea is served at sushi restaurants, which serve a lot of raw ingredients.
Tea is said to have originated in China. During the Nara period, envoys were sent to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), which was an advanced country at the time, to learn about its culture, learning, technology, and political system and bring them back to Japan. Tea is said to have been introduced to Japan at that time, along with Buddhist culture and the Ritsuryo system.
It is said that tea was taken as medicine in the Tang Dynasty (唐) at the time, and in Japan it was initially drunk in the same way to recover from ill health.
The cultivation of tea trees in Japan is said to have begun in 805, when tea seeds brought back by Saicho, the founder of the Tendai sect, were planted and cultivated at the foot of Mount Hiei. This tea field remains today as Hiyoshi Tea Garden.
The oldest documented mention of tea is found in the Nihon Kōki (日本後紀), compiled in 815 during the early Heian period, which states that Emperor Saga (嵯峨天皇) was served tea brewed by the monk Eichu (栄忠) from Omi Province. After this, Emperor Saga ordered the cultivation of tea, and tea began to be served at events for the upper class, including members of the imperial family, influential monks, and the aristocracy.
At that time, tea was made by steaming, crushing, solidifying, and drying tea leaves, known as compressed tea (団茶, dancha), and when drinking it, it was roasted over a fire, ground into powder, and boiled in hot water.
However, tea, which was a precious commodity, did not spread to commoner society, and with the abolition of envoys to Tang China, tea did not take root as a part of Japanese culture and went into a decline.
It is said that Eisai (栄西), the founder of the Rinzai sect (臨済宗) of Buddhism, was the one who revived tea. He was deeply impressed by the efficacy of the tea drunk by the monks at the Zen temple in Song (宋) where he was training, so he returned to Japan with tea seeds and cultivated them in 1191.
Eisai compiled the Kissa Yojoki (喫茶養生記, 1211), a book explaining the efficacy of tea, how to drink it, and its effects on health. This is said to be Japan’s first book on tea, and it has had a major impact on the spread of Japanese tea, which remains an indispensable part of life to this day, and the development of tea culture.
Kissa Yojoki is a practical guide that not only explains the health benefits of tea, but also advocates incorporating tea into daily life as a method of health care, and is composed of two major parts.
Part 1: The Benefits of Tea and Its Effects on Health
1. Tea Promotes Longevity
Tea removes bad qi (気) from the body, balances it, and contributes to maintaining health and promoting longevity.
2. Mental stability
Tea has a stabilizing effect, and is used in Zen training to increase concentration, so it can calm the mind and harmonize the mind and body.
3. Fatigue recovery
Tea has the effect of removing physical fatigue, and drinking it daily can maintain physical strength.
4. Digestion promotion
Tea has the effect of aiding digestion, and drinking it after a meal can improve the function of the stomach and intestines and maintain health.
Part 2: Practical methods of drinking tea
1. How to brew tea
This book describes in detail how to brew tea, including how to choose tea leaves, the temperature of the water, and the mindset when drinking tea, and argues that drinking tea is not just a chore, but a ritual to harmonize the mind and body.
2. The best time to drink tea
Drinking tea is recommended when waking up or feeling tired, and is also effective after meals and for increasing concentration, making it a health management method in daily life.
3. Types of tea and their effects
This book also mentions the types of tea and explains the effects of each type. The benefits of green tea and matcha include disease prevention and health maintenance.
Eisai’s idea of maintaining physical and mental health through tea is linked to naturopathic medicine, and is not just about drinking tea, but also to spiritual training, etiquette, and an emphasis on harmony with nature.
In other words, the Kissa Yojoki not only established the value of tea as a means to health and well-being, but by linking tea with Zen training, it can be said to have laid the foundation for a path (道) to fostering uniquely Japanese culture and consciousness, such as leading one to a deeper spiritual dimension through tea, as seen in later tea ceremony (茶道) and sencha ceremony (煎茶道).
The oldest tea plantation in Japan dates back to when Myoe (明恵), a Kegon sect (華厳宗) monk, received tea seeds from Eisai and planted and cultivated them at Kozan-ji Temple (高山寺) in Kyoto. This is said to be the origin of Uji tea (宇治茶).
From the late Kamakura period to the Nanboku-cho period, many temples began to open tea gardens, and tea cultivation began in regions such as Iga (伊賀), Ise (伊勢), Suruga (駿河), and Musashi (武蔵).
The tea that was brought back from Song and spread during this period was called tencha (碾茶) or hikicha (挽茶), which is made by powdering tea leaves and dissolving them in hot water to drink, similar to modern-day matcha, and was mostly drunk for health purposes.
During the Muromachi and Azuchi-Momoyama periods, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and Toyotomi Hideyoshi protected Uji tea, and it became popular among samurai as a luxury item, and chanoyu (茶の湯、tea ceremony、茶道) was perfected by Murata Juko (村田珠光, 1422 or 142 -1502), Takeno Jōō (武野紹鴎, 1502-1555), and Sen no Rikyu (千利休, 1522-1591).
Juko founded the wabi-cha style, which seeks a state of quiet, calm, mysterious tranquility and profound elegance. His philosophy of incorporating this spirituality and valuing the relationship between host and guest was embraced by the wealthy merchants of Kyoto and Sakai, and was carried on by Jōō and established by his disciple Rikyu.
During the Edo period, tea was officially used in ceremonies of the shogunate, and the relationship between samurai and chanoyu became closer. The custom of pouring hot water over tea leaves to brew and drink, known as sencha (煎茶), became a habit among commoners as well, and it spread throughout society.
There are various theories about the origin of the tea plant, including Yunnan Province, Vietnam, Laos, southern China in the Himalayan mountain range, the areas around the states of Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram in northeastern India, and the Assam region, but in terms of broad regional classification, it is almost certain that it originated somewhere in the subtropical regions of southern Asia.
Both black and green tea are made from the Camellia sinensis plant. Green tea is made from the young leaves and buds, while black tea is made from withered leaves that have undergone an oxidation process.
It is said that tea first appeared in Chinese history during the time of Shennong, who is known as the father of agriculture and traditional Chinese medicine. Based on an anecdote that Shennong ate wild herbs and tea leaves, it is believed that tea was discovered around 2700 BC.
Tea seems to have been well known during the Han Dynasty (1st century BC), and was enjoyed as a luxury item by the upper classes.
By the Tang Dynasty (618-907), tea leaves were already being cultivated all over China, and the habit of drinking tea had spread throughout the country. The mainstream tea at that time was compressed tea (団茶 – dancha, or 餅茶 – heicha), made by pounding steamed tea leaves, compressing them into a solid form, and drying them, which was apparently done to make it easier to transport to consumption areas.
The Chajing (茶経), written by Lu Yu (陸羽) around 760 and said to be the oldest book on tea in the world, consists of 3 volumes and 10 chapters, and describes the origins of tea, its history, manufacturing tools, tea utensils, how to make tea, how to drink it, where it is produced, tips, and how to make and drink compressed tea.
During the Song Dynasty (宋, 960-1279), tea became the preserve of not only the aristocracy but also wealthy citizens such as government officials and literati, who would recite poetry, practice calligraphy, paint, and discuss philosophy while drinking tea.
During the Ming Dynasty (明,1368-1644), the habit of drinking tea, which was previously limited to the aristocracy and wealthy citizens, spread to the general public. During this period, the first emperor, Hongwu Emperor (洪武帝, Zhu Yuanzhang, 朱元璋), issued an order banning the production of brick tea (compressed tea), as it was thought to have diminished the original flavor of tea and was too time-consuming to produce. After this, loose tea began to be produced in earnest and became mainstream.
During the Qing Dynasty (清, 1636-1912), Chinese tea leaves and tea utensils were almost complete, tea culture reached its peak, and oolong tea was developed in Fujian Province. And in pursuit of that wonderful aroma, the “Gongfu tea (工夫茶)” technique was developed, which involves brewing the tea slowly and carefully, taking time and effort. It is brewed using special tea utensils, and you first enjoy the aroma in a scent cup, then the taste in a tea cup, bringing out and enjoying the unique charm of oolong tea to the fullest. The popularity of flower tea (花茶), which emphasizes the aroma, is said to have begun around this time.
By the way, “Gongfu tea (工夫茶)” refers to tea leaves that have been made using ingenious techniques, such as rare and valuable tea leaves or tea leaves that have taken a lot of time and effort to produce, and “Kong Fu tea (功夫茶)” refers to tea that has been brewed using ingenious techniques.
Chinese tea is divided into 6+1 types according to the color of the tea leaves.
1. Green tea (緑茶) – no fermentation.
Longjing tea (龍井茶), Biluochun ( 碧螺春), Huangshan Maofeng (黄山毛峰), etc.
2. White tea (白茶) – semi-fermented tea (weakly fermented).
Bai Mudan (白牡丹), Yinzhen Baihao (銀針白毫), etc.
3. Yellow tea (黄茶) – semi-fermented tea (weakly fermented).
Junshan Yinzhen (君山銀針), Mengding Huangme (蒙頂黄芽), etc.
4. Blue tea (青茶, 烏龍茶 – oolong tea) – semi-fermented tea (heavy to medium fermentation).
Dahongpao (大紅袍 red robe tea), Dongding Oolong (凍頂烏龍), Tieguanyin (鉄観音), Wuyiyan tea (武夷岩茶), Huang Huanggui (黄金桂), Shuixiang (水仙), Sujong (色種), etc.
5. Red (black) tea (紅茶) – fully fermented tea.
Qimen (祁門), Zhengshan Xiaozhong (正山小種), etc.
6. Black tea (黒茶, pu-erh tea) – post-fermented tea (tea fermented by the action of bacteria, not natural oxidation).
Pu’er tea (普洱茶), Liubao tea (六堡茶), etc.
7. Flower tea (花茶) – green tea with aroma.
Jasmine tea (茉莉花茶), rose tea (玫瑰花茶), osmanthus tea (桂花茶), etc.
It seems that black tea was introduced to Europe via the Silk Road, but it was treated as a rare curiosity rather than a major commodity.
In the mid-16th century, shortly after the start of the Age of Discovery, the Portuguese traveled from their colony of Macau to Japan and came into contact with Japanese tea ceremony culture, which later became the catalyst for the spread of tea to Western countries.
Tea was first introduced to Western Europe in 1610 by the Dutch East India Company. The tea they brought was green tea, not black tea, and it was Japanese tea purchased in Hirado and Chinese tea purchased from the Portuguese in Macau.
At that time, the Netherlands had a monopoly on Oriental trade with China and Indonesia, and the Britain, which also ran the East India Company, was forced to focus on trade with India.
Incidentally, there was no tea in India at the time, and it was not until 1923 that the new species of tea plant, the Assam variety, was discovered.
Tea varieties are broadly divided into two types: the tall tree-type Assam variety and the short shrub-type traditional Chinese variety, and tea is made to suit each variety. Roughly speaking, the Chinese variety is rich in amino acids, which are the components of umami, but has a relatively low content of catechins, so it is mainly used for green tea, while the Assam variety, which has a low amino acid content but a lot of catechins, is considered to be suitable for black tea.
Britain attempted to monopolize tea interests, and in 1669 enacted a law banning the import of tea from the Netherlands, declaring war against it, thus starting the Anglo-Dutch War (1672-1674).
Britain won this war and gained the upper hand in trade with China, and 15 years later, in 1689, tea was collected in Xiamen (厦門, Amoi), Fujian Province (福建省), where the British East India Company had its base, and tea imported directly from China began to be distributed within Britain, eventually gaining an import monopoly in 1720.
The tea collected in Xiamen was a semi-fermented tea known as Wuyi tea (武夷茶). It was called black tea in English because the tea leaves were black, and it eventually became the mainstream of tea in Western Europe. Incidentally, In Japan, in Japan, the English word “black tea” is written as “red tea (紅茶)” and pronounced “kōcha,” in accordance with the Chinese classification of tea. After that, products with different degrees of fermentation were made, and even Congou black tea was developed with meticulous refinements to the manufacturing method, laying the foundation for modern black tea.
In the late 18th century, tea also became a popular commodity in America, which was then a British colony. However, when Britain imposed high taxes on newspapers, documents, daily necessities, and other items through the Stamp Act in 1765 and the Townshend Acts in 1767, American colonists rebelled and started a boycott of British goods.
On the other hand, the British East India Company was struggling to sell tea leaves imported from China due to the pressure of smuggled goods and cheap tea from other countries, and had a large amount of stock. In order to save the company from its management crisis, the British Parliament enacted the Tea Act in 1773, granting it exclusive rights to sell tea in the American colonies. This made the situation even worse.
At first glance, this may seem like a benefit to consumers, but the unilateral policy decisions, economic domination, and taxation of the British government put a strain on the businesses of local merchants in the American colonies, and also led to the loss of freedom for the colonists, leading to the accumulation of dissatisfaction and resentment against Britain.
As a result of the heated anti-tax movement, the Boston Tea Party occurred in 1773, in which 342 chests of tea on a British ship anchored in Boston Harbor were thrown into the sea. This incident is generally considered to have been the catalyst for the American War of Independence, which began in 1775.
Incidentally, the first lodge in America to be officially recognized by the Grand Lodge of England was the Boston Lodge, founded in 1733, and it is said that this marked the rapid expansion of Freemasonry in America.
In fact, there is a theory that it was members of the St. Andrew Lodge of Freemasons who incited the citizens in the Boston Tea Party, but it is not certain that the War of Independence was planned and carried out by Freemasons, but it is a fact that high-ranking members such as Albert Pike served as generals in the Confederate Confederacy.
Furthermore, the American colonists do not appear to have been liberated from British rule or to have gained freedom and sovereignty through the War of Independence, because of their hidden subjection to the City of London and because the Crown Temple is said to have held ownership of America.
The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. On May 1 of the same year, the secret society Bavarian Illuminati was founded by Jesuit monk Adam Weishaupt in the Kingdom of Bavaria in southern Germany, making this a year of change that would have an impact on the ruling and governing systems of society throughout the world thereafter.
After Freemasonry was deeply involved in the founding of the United States of America in 1783 and the implementation of the United States Constitution in 1788, their influence in politics, economy, society, and all other aspects of ordinary people’s lives rapidly grew.
Meanwhile, Chinese tea, which was brought to Europe in the late 17th century, created a huge boom among the imperial court and aristocracy, with black tea being particularly popular in Britain. Eventually, with the rise of afternoon tea culture from the 18th to the 19th century, tea spread to the general public as an indispensable beverage in everyday life.
By the 1830s, Britain had begun to import large amounts of tea from China, which was the main producer of tea at the time, and transactions were settled in silver, a currency determined by the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. This led to a large outflow of silver to China, which caused financial difficulties for Britain due to a silver shortage.
The reason was that the Qing Dynasty had little need for European industrial products, while Britain imported large quantities of tea, silk, ceramics, and other items from China, leading to a serious trade imbalance and deficit.
As an aside, in today’s trade, production bases, parts production bases, and assembly bases are often spread across different countries. Therefore, using the highs and lows of the trade balance bar graph as an excuse to implement an outrageous tariff policy under the trade imbalance is extremely unreasonable and could lead to an unwanted economic decline, as can be inferred from the results of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930. At the time, it led to a retaliatory tariff war, which caused cost-push inflation and effectively worsened the Great Depression, with the people most affected being the low-income classes who were suffering from impoverishment.
Returning to the original topic, in order to solve the financial difficulties caused by the trade imbalance, the British East India Company cultivated poppies in India to produce opium, brought it to China, developed a market, demanded payment in silver, and used the profits to purchase tea leaves.
The Qing Dynasty’s national power declined rapidly as opium spread, and the official Lin Zexu, who took the situation seriously, cracked down vigorously, even going so far as to impose the death penalty. Charles Elliot, a British diplomat living in the Qing Dynasty, fled to Macau in 1839, but Lin Zexu imposed a military blockade on Macau to keep Elliot out. It is said that more than 1,400 tons of opium were confiscated from British merchants and incinerated.
In 1840, a British fleet invaded Qing Dynasty in retaliation, and the Opium Wars broke out. It ended with an overwhelming British victory, and the Qing Dynasty was forced to sign the unequal Treaty of Nanking in 1842, becoming a colony.
However, Britain was unable to obtain the benefits it had expected, and began to smuggle opium again. The Qing cracked down on this again, and the Arrow War broke out, with America, France, and Russia also joining the war on Britain’s side. The defeated Qing signed unequal treaties with America, the Treaty of Wanghia (望厦条約), and France, the Treaty of Whampoa (黄埔条約), in 1844.
This would later have a major impact on the Edo Shogunate’s isolationist policy, following the arrival of the Black Ships Fleet led by Commodore Perry (a Freemason) in 1853.
Meanwhile, Jardine Matheson & Co., based in Hong Kong (initially Guangzhou), a key player in the opium trade and triangular trade, was secretly operating as a covert agent for the Freemason network, and through its Nagasaki agent, Thomas Glover & Co., sold second-hand weapons used in the American War of Independence to both the Satsuma-Choshu Alliance and the shogunate, plotting to bring about the collapse of Japan through civil war, but civil war was averted by Tokugawa Yoshinobu.
After the Meiji Restoration, in order to catch up with the Western powers, Japan needed to promote modernization and work on enriching the country and strengthening its military. To that end, it first focused on producing raw silk and tea leaves, on which Western countries had relied from China.
After the transfer of power back to the Emperor, the 15th Shogun, Yoshinobu, retired to Suruga (present-day Shizuoka Prefecture). With the abolition of the feudal domains and the establishment of prefectures (廃藩置県, 1871) leaving many shogunate officials and samurai unemployed, former Shogunate official Katsu Kaishu (勝海舟, 1823-1899) sought to produce tea leaves for export, and encouraged the unemployed to settle in the wasteland of Suruga and cultivate tea leaves. This tea export earned Japan foreign currency and set the country on the path to modernization, and this would later become the Makinohara Plateau (牧之原台地), the largest tea plantation in Japan.
The long journey of tea seems to include many historical events that continue to influence and involve everyday life today, from the pursuit of spiritual ascension associated with wabi-sabi (侘び寂び) and Zen, to cultural and civilizational events, world-shaking conspiracies, conflicts, schemes, policies, taxation systems, drug trafficking and war.
Tea gives us the opportunity to quietly converse with nature and ourselves, but it is also a culture for enjoying fleeting moments and precious, irreplaceable spaces with others. Perhaps it is the accumulation of such small things that leads to the deeper harmony that The Book of Tea points to.
Perhaps the accumulation of such small things will become the path that leads to the deeper harmony that The Book of Tea points to.
Sincerely grateful for your financial support.
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