UCLA’s Fowler Museum explores tea’s enormous significance in Japan at the Steeped in History: The Art of Tea Exhibit beginning August 16-November 29, 2009. Along with Buddhism, tea was first introduced during the early Heian period (794–1185) by monks who had traveled to China to study Chan (Zen) Buddhism. Tea was drunk in monasteries and in some aristocratic circles, but it was not until the end of the 12th century that its role in Japanese arts and culture became more prominent, after the Buddhist priest Eisai brought back to Japan the powdered tea (known in Japan as matcha) then popular in Song China.
Tea drinking spread among the military aristocracy and the interactions between the warrior elite and Zen priests produced one of the early forms of chanoyu, known in the West as the Japanese tea ceremony. Tea was so central to Japanese culture by the second half of the Edo period (1615–1868) that everyday articles and accessories, such as the netsuke, decorative Japanese belt toggles that hung from the sashes of kimono, were frequently decorated with tea-related motifs.
The opening of Japan to the West in the 1850s brought new topics and themes to tea-related arts, as well as to the development of tea wares produced for Western markets. Stoneware tea caddies, tea bowls, scrolls and other tea-related objects from the 10th–20th centuries attest to the long history and important place that tea holds in Japanese culture. A magnificent bed cover decorated with images of tea utensils and other auspicious items suggests how tea culture permeated even personal parts of Japanese life.
Related Museum Events
September 12, 2009 4 pm Fowler OutSpoken Lecture: Beatrice Hohenegger: Steeped in History: The Art of Tea
Guest curator and tea specialist Beatrice Hohenegger considers the history and culture of tea, one of the world’s most ubiquitous beverages.
The first tea seeds were brought to Japan by the returning Buddhist priest Yeisei,who had seen the value of tea in China in enhancing religious mediation.Tea received almost instant imperial sponsorship and spread rapidly from the royal court and monasteries to the other sections of Japanese society.
Tea was elevated to an art form resulting in the creation of the Japanese Tea Ceremony(“Cha-no-yu” or “the hot water for tea”).The Tea ceremony even requires years of training and practice to graduate in art.They give so much importance for tea.
Thanks for sharing nice information.
Yes, the Japanese know how to make tea “personal” and I’m thankful that tea has become so widely available that most people on earth have access to it. It’s not just for the wealthy anymore. That’s a great Blessing. –Spirituality of Tea