Kamakura — Tea and Zen

At the dawn of the Kamakura period, Zen master Eisai—the founder of the Japanese Rinzai Zen school—brought tea seeds from China (Song dynasty) and wrote the treatise Kissa Yōjōki (“On the Health Benefits of Tea Drinking”), thus laying the foundation for Japanese matcha culture.

During zazen—seated meditation—matcha tea helped monks clear their minds, maintain inner silence and focus, freeing the mind from wandering thoughts. In Zen monasteries, there was also a special practice known as sarei—the “monastic tea ceremony.” Several times a day—after meditation and the chanting of sutras—monks would gather to share a bowl of tea. This ritual was a symbol of harmony, unity, and spiritual tranquility.

Even today, a bowl of matcha enjoyed in the silence of a bamboo grove transcends ordinary tea drinking, becoming a special moment—a touch of contemplative spirit and the aesthetics of Zen.