Tea is native to India and was introduced to China at the same time as Buddhism. Japanese tea ceremony tea was first introduced to Japan in the Nara period, brought by envoys sent to the Tang Dynasty. Tea, which once declined, flourished again in the Kamakura period. In the Muromachi period, under the leadership of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa, Murata Shuguang began making tea on four and a half couches, which became the tea ceremony. You can set up a temporary tea banquet in the garden or temple, or you can also hold an outdoor tea drinking ceremony, but for the tea ceremony, a tea room is indispensable. Ordering tea is called "ordering before". The procedure is to put the powdered tea in the tea bowl, pour in the boiling water, and then use a small round bamboo brush to stir the powdered tea leaves to create foam. When drinking, pick up the tea bowl with your right hand, place it on the palm of your left hand, and then turn the tea bowl from the opposite side in front of you. After drinking, wipe it with your fingers. Use a spare white paper to wipe your fingers. However, the tea ceremony is not just about drinking tea. Its fundamental significance lies in appreciating the tea ceremony utensils, mainly tea bowls, tea room decorations, tea gardens, and the spiritual communication between host and guest. The rules of tea ceremony are explained as "four rules and seven rules". The so-called "four rules" are harmony, respect and silence. Harmony and respect are the rules between guests and hosts at tea parties; silence refers to the clean and leisurely atmosphere of the tea room and tea yard. The "Seven Rules" are used for preparations when receiving guests. "The tea should be lighted well; the charcoal fire should be suitable and the water should be boiled; the tea should be warm in winter and cool in summer; flowers should be put in as if they were in the wild; time should be used. It’s better to go early; prepare rain gear even if it doesn’t rain; think about the guests” 7 tips. After Lu Yu wrote the "Tea Classic" in the Tang Dynasty, tea tasting moved from monasteries to the private sector, and literati tea appeared. During the Nara period and the Heian period, the popular "Tancha" in Japan was a type of tea used by literati in the Tang Dynasty. The method of making "Tuancha" is not difficult. You only need to dry the tea leaves, pound them into powder with a tea mortar, add a little water and knead them into balls, dry them and store them for later use. In the middle of the Heian period (the end of the ninth century), Japan abolished sending envoys to the Tang Dynasty, and "Tuancha" gradually disappeared as a result, and was replaced by "Matcha" which was popular in the Song Dynasty. The production method of "Matcha" is to pound the refined tea leaves into powder with a tea mortar. When drinking, add water to the tea powder, stir it evenly with a tea whisk (bamboo brush) and drink it. It is both nutritious and tasteful. In the early Kamakura period (thirteenth century), the famous monk Eisai went to China for the second time. After returning to Japan, he opened a tea garden and wrote "Drinking Tea for Health". He strongly promoted that drinking tea can prolong life and promote the popularity of "Matcha". universal. The Song Dynasty pioneered "tea fighting". "Tea fighting" first appeared in the form of entertainment among literati. The teahouses used in "tea fights" were generally two-story buildings and were called "tea pavilions" at the time. Guests first wait in the "guest hall" downstairs, and when invited by the tea pavilion owner, go to the "Tai Pavilion" on the second floor for a tea fight. "Tai Pavilion" has windows on all sides, allowing you to overlook the outdoor scenery. Paintings by famous artists are hung on the indoor screen. The table in front of the screen is covered with brocade, with incense burners, vases and candlesticks placed on it. A pair of decorative cabinets are placed in the west wing, filled with luxurious prizes. The winner can become the owner of the prizes. The "Tea Fight" adopts the "four kinds of ten servings" method. Each contestant drinks ten servings of four kinds of matcha, and then tells the "original nature" and "water quality" of the tea. The winner is determined by the number of points scored. The "original" nature of tea refers to local tea leaves and non-local tea leaves, and "water quality" refers to the quality of the water used to make tea, that is, the source of the water. From the Northern and Southern Dynasties (1336) to the middle period of Muromachi (the middle period of the 15th century), the method of "tea fighting" and the tea pavilion were almost completely imitated in China. However, after the Muromachi period, the Chinese-style tea pavilions were abolished and used instead as meeting halls for performing kado and rengedo. The fun of "tea fighting" has gradually become Japanese. People no longer pay attention to luxury, but pay more attention to elegance and taste. As a result, aristocratic tea rituals and popular tea tasting methods emerged. Zhuguang formulated the first tea tasting method, so he was called "the founder of tea tasting" by later generations. Zhuguang changed tea tasting from a recreational activity to a tea ceremony. The Pearl-ryu tea ceremony has been practiced for several generations. In the late Muromachi period, a tea ceremony master Sen no Rikyu appeared. Sen no Rikyu created the Rikyu Ryuku Soan style tea method, which became popular all over the world and pushed the development of tea ceremony to its peak. Sen no Rikyu was known as the "tea ceremony". "The best person in the world" has become the absolute authority in the tea ceremony world. Sen no Rikyu's popularity among the people threatened the authority of the people in power. General Toyotomi Hideyoshi used his words to quell the rebellion, promulgated the Law on the Status of Scholars, Farmers, Industries and Merchants, and ordered Sen no Rikyu to commit seppuku on an unfounded charge. After Sen no Rikyu's death, his successors inherited his mantle, and thousands of schools emerged, represented by "Omotesenke", "Satosenke", and "Mushakoji Senke". All schools of tea ceremony basically use the Matcha method, but in the early Edo period (the end of the 16th century), the Sencha method pioneered by the Ming Dynasty in China became a craze among scholars.
The Sencha method does not have high requirements for tea leaves. It only needs to dry ordinary tea leaves and then steam them, then rub them with your hands, put them in a teapot and brew them with boiling water, and pour the tea into a tea bowl to drink. In fact, people at the time called this method the "tea-flooding method." The real "sencha method" is different. It involves pouring boiling water into the tea bowl first, and then putting the tea leaves in it for drinking. Modern people call it sencha. Because sencha is convenient and not restricted by the venue, it is commonly used in modern families. Of course, at formal tea parties or when receiving important people, the traditional matcha method is still the main method. The Japanese tea ceremony pays attention to elegance and etiquette, and the tools used are also carefully selected. The tea is accompanied by desserts. The tea ceremony has gone beyond the scope of tea tasting. The Japanese regard it as a way to cultivate their sentiments. The Japanese tea ceremony originated in China, but now if you want to see the Chinese tea ceremony, you probably have to go to Japan.