The origin of tea culture in any formal sense traditionally starts with the "Classic of Tea" written by the Chinese Buddhist monk Lu Yu, sometime between 760 and 780 CE
during the Tang dynasty. He was supposedly dissatisfied with the scope of his Buddhist studies in his youth and sought a wider knowledge. It may be that in the careful
and systematic preparation of a simple cup of tea he found a particularly harmonious example of the "universal expressed in the particular" - a central concept in religious
study at that time. The book is not long, but comprises ten chapters on the origins of tea, tools for tea growing and processing, production of tea cakes or bricks, utensils for
tea preparation, boiling water and brewing tea, drinking tea, the growing of tea, the history of tea, tea growing regions of China, simplified tea preparation procedures
and pictorial guides to tea making.
Tea was originally brought to Japan during the Tang dynasty, and during the later Song dynasty the Buddhist monk Eisai (1141 - 1215) returned to Japan from China bringing
with him tea tree seeds that would be used to grow tea that would be powdered as "matcha" tea, which became the most popular form of tea used in the Japanese Tea Ceremony.
The modern form of the Japanese Tea Ceremony is also greatly influenced by the later work of Sen Rikyu, a Japanese tea master whose ideas were recorded in the text
"Southern Record", probably written in the late 16th century. This is during the time of the great Ming Dynasty in China, however the prevalence of tea pressed into cakes,
and of loose tea in the later part of the Ming dynasty does not seem to affect the preference for powdered matcha tea in the Japanese Tea Ceremony, even though there was a
great deal of trade between China and Japan during this time. This is perhaps a reflection of the fact that many of the Samurai class who were dominant in Japan at this time,
may not all have been of Japanese descent (a much discussed subject in Japanese History). Many of them may have been descended from families who had come to Japan during the
time of the Tang and Song dynasties and retained a preference for the tea culture of these earlier traditions.
The modern Japanese Tea Ceremony is called "Chanoyu" or "Chado" in Japanese - the way of tea. There are many different schools or styles of Chanoyu but all are based to a large
extent on the Zen Buddhist tradition of tea master monks such as Eisai and Lu Yu. There are a number of basic attributes common to most schools of Chanoyu practised today
in Japan. The ceremony usually takes place in a specially built room or small building called a "chashitsu". It is approximately 4.5 standard "tatami" (Japanese floor mats
traditionally made of rice straw and about 3f x 6ft in size), and has a low ceiling with separate entrances for the host and guests. Both the host and guests follow a ritual
pattern for washing and preparation and drinking of the tea. For a tea ceremony master, every movement in the actions of the ceremony follows a set pattern. This may seem
strange from a Western point of view, but one of the aims of the tea ceremony is to appreciate the fact that every meeting is unique. Following a set pattern of movements
helps to focus on what is unique about a particular meeting on a more elevated level than the incidental detail at a mundane level. It can also have a quasi hypnotic effect
which combined with the effect of the tea helps to create a mood that is harmonious and tranquil and somewhat removed from the ordinary physical level of everyday reality.
Of course, this is a very delicate effect to achieve and devotees spend years refining there skills and understanding according to the teachings of the tea masters.
