History of Tea Test 1 - Essay Questions
How and when tea got to Japan
- Buddhist Monk Kukai went to china in 804, returning two years later with stuff - emperor saga visiting a monastery 815 and having tea poured for him is first reliable source - upper class Japanese looked to China for high culture
Who drank tea and why
- Buddhists monks for health reasons and it was given as gifts - Myoan Eisai brought back tea seeds when he returned from china in 1191 w/ matcha style drinking and zen teachings - in 1214 he prepared a bowl of tea for the Shogun and presented Kissa yojoki (his works on tea) - therefore revived and spread more broadly in Japanese culture in the 12th century
Tea varieties
- Camellia sinensis var. Sinensis (chinese), Camellia sinesis var. Assamica (indian) - envrionment directly affects growth and flavor (grow best in tropical environments, high elevation)
transport networks
- China culture centered north on Yellow River, Under the Sui dynasty (581-618) a canal was dug connecting the south with the north, in order to bring southern goods to the capital in the north - During Tang dynasty (618-907) southern economy and population surpassed north - tea was traded with steppe and tibet as a luxury good, increased demand which increased southern production
infusing, steeping, decocting, and brewing
- Infusion: extraction of flavors or compounds in a solvent - Steeping: soaking a solid in a liquid to release flavors or compounds - Decoction: boiling materials in water to extract flavors and/or compounds - can be brewed w milk, salt, sugar, spices, etc
True Origins
- Kim Taeryon, an envoy of King Heungdeok (r. 826-36) of Silla, went to the Tang court and returned with tea seeds - Tea drinking and culture grew during the Koryo Dynasty (918-1392) - in 1450 buddhist ceremonies were replaced w ruist ceremonies and monasteries were prosecuted - Imjin War (1592-1598) destroyed southern Korea where tea was grown
writing about tea
- Lu Yu famous for his Tea Classic before the Song, which initiated the genre of tea writing - Cai Xiang (high ranked general and famous calligrapher) first important song writer on tea and essay originally written for emperor - Song emperor Huizong wrote about tea as well, he was very interested in gaining respect by demonstrating connoisseurship and ultimately trying to take control of culture as an imperial project to show his strength - tea poetry and writing about tea with respect to localities - other than literati, also had buddhist and Chan writing emphasizing tea
tea and the mongols
- Ming dynasty wanted to make it easier for the horse and tea trade w the Tibetans (based on cost and need to fight mongols) so their strategy was to reward Tibetan friendship w tea, and punish Mongols by not giving tea - more frequent purchases of horses, therefore tibetans had more tea and smuggling was diminished bc of harsh punishments - this attempt of using trade for political control failed bc mongols ended up just getting tea from non-chinese people, like the Tibetans
How it Retained its buddhist connection
- Most obviously, Buddhist institutions and monks were deeply involved in growing, processing, and drinking tea - Eisai argued that tea was valued early on in China and Japan, connecting it to buddhism - knowledgeable people had tea competitions and classified tea drinkers into three groups - some shoguns employed tea masters who were buddhists monks
the tea and horse trade
- Song dynasty could not produce enough horses for military, so they had to trade with steppe/non Chinese people to get horses - main trade good for horses was tea, also some silk and coins - they obviously were not given the best horses bc they knew they'd be used for military, and the non chinese people were not given the best tea either - low quality bricks bc trade focused on quantity, not quality - Sichuan became an export market bc it was the source for this trade
Tea and horse trade from the Yuan to the Qing
- Tang dynasty built up and maintained herd of horses - in the Yuan was done by private traders - in the Ming the mongols were barred from trading, depended on tibet (faced steppe threat) - in the Qing the government didn't buy horses and loosened the trade - caused a flourish of tea in tibet as demand was going up and price was going down = more tea
earliest uses
- The first drinking of tea is attributed to the legendary Shennong (ca. 2737 BCE) in northern China (he's a mythical figure, tea actually comes from the south but this myth moves it to the north which is central of chinese history) - evidence of tea in written records in Book of Poetry (c. 1000 and c. 600 BCE) - earliest physical evidence for tea is in Han emperor Jing's (188-141 BCE, r. 157-141) - sichuan rules sent tea to Zhou king - confirms couthern origins and shows value - by Tang dynasty drinking was common
Vestiges of tea
- What little was left of tea in Korea was then destroyed by the Japanese occupation (1910-45), WWII, and then the Korean War (1950-3) - traditional Korean drink is boricha (roasted barley tisane) - coffee more widely drank - shift to ruist ideology undercut tea drinking
Oxidation and Processing
- When tea is first picked, bacteria and microorganisms begins to break down/oxidize buds/leaves, this process is stopped by killing the bacteria (ie. heating) - longer it can oxidize = more black the tea is
tea wares and jingdezhen
- as the way tea was prepared changed, the wares also changed (began using clay pots in Ming) - Jingdezhen (city in China) manufactured porcelain cups and used their local clay - Ming court had stopped ordering from Jingdezhen, but in 1680 Qing government resestablished
Origins of Tibetan tea trade
- based upon exchange of horses and tea (we know was low quality brick tea) - tea traded purely as commodity in this - Tea drinking began in the reign of the Tibetan King Khri 'Dus sron (676-704) - tea drinking was commonplace before Buddhism became widespread in Tibet
Sen no Rikyu
- born to a warehouse owner, studied tea locally and then began studying under famous tea master (takeno joo) - Rikyu trained at Daitokuji in Zen Buddhism - Became tea master for Oda Nobunaga in 1579
Zhu Yuanshang (emperor)
- born very poor, ugly, violent, insecure, apprenticed in a Buddhist monastery so he could eat - hated southern elite who didnt support him politcally, also hated steppe and non-Chinese people who controlled china - decided tea would not be in the form of cakes and rather just loose leaf bc it would save on unnecessary labor, which caused major change in gift giving
drinking tea in the early song
- by 960 tea was well established beverage at all levels of society, which was a problem if you wanted to be different - tea produced and processed as a luxury good in the south and shipped all over empire via trade networks - expensive tea cakes usually had camphor added to them (kept insects out, evened tea playing field, made tea taste bad) - most people consumed loose tea not made into cakes, which were a higher valued good and very giftable
health properties of tea
- caffeine, can promote digestion, quenches thirst better than water, can promote appetite by cleansing palate, can be combined with other health herbs or fruit - bitterness often lead people to think healthy
taste and aesthetics
- court no longer was seen as a rule on tea taste bc it adopted mainstream chinese and manchu drinking - court was bi-cultural, but most people were only proficient in their own culture - tea still connected to buddhism, eventually manchus used that as a political tool - writing about tea and connoisseurship still important for literati
buddhist dietary restrictions
- eating and taste in buddhism can blind us to truth - one of the fundamental rules is no killing, which means vegetarianism but also no milk (by product of being) - another fundamental rule was no intoxicants, so alcohol could not be consumed
widespread consumption outside of buddhism
- first tea tax in 780 shows tea was widespread - word for tea isn't a buddhist word -
the tea cermony
- happens in small, minimally furnished hut - close interaction between host and few guests - usually done w powdered green tea - becomes known as the Way of Tea, practices are formalized, later becomes mostly womens art
Buddhism in Tibet
- in legend, Chinese princess Wencheng converted Tibetan ruler and king made Buddhism the state religion (before 800) - in the mid 9th century tibetan empire broke down and so did spread of buddhism - was revived in the 11th century and happened to coincide w increase in tea drinking, but they're unrelated (happens bc of trade) - Gelug sect was founded by Je Tsongkhapa (1357-1419) and became dominant - Qing dynasty supported Gelug and Dalai Lama
The Indian Legend
- legend in Samguk Yusa saying that Queen Heo Hwang-ok from Ayodhya brought assamica tea plants to Korea from India - legend came about bc it was a way to connect Korea directly to India, which was the source of buddhism - this allowed korea to claim a direct and authentic connection to buddhism without referencing china
The Manchu Chinese Divide
- new rules in Qing were not chinese and had different cultural ideas, but they sought to portray themselves as both Chinese and Manchu - tea was also authentically chinese and manchu, tho more chinese bc it was produced there - tea was fully commodified before the Qing - Qing leaers wanted to re-establish economy so had economic interests in tea
originally a southern drink
- originally connected w Sichuan, but moved up north in Warring States period mostly as medicine (legend of Shennong) - after the Han fell, tea became southern drink and Southern high culture/refined living developed
Continued use as medicine
- stimulating effects made it consumed regularly, thought of as tonic rather than cure - included in medical handbooks, focus on herbs - part of ceremonies that promote well being and health
how did he transform tea drinking?
- stressed "wabi-cha" which is simplistic tea ceremony - he promoted the use of simple wares (bowls), rather than expensive chinese utensils used in extravagant tea contests - promoted a spiritual focus on the tea and performance over displays of wealth and power
Steppe tea drinking
- tea horse trade gave them lower quality tea - mongols especially drank it steeped with milk rather than water, or just with milk in it William of Rubruk in 1253-54 trip noted mongols tried not to drink pure water (maybe bc they thought rivers were sacred or sanitary practice) - tea then became a regular source of calories bc the milk (in Tibet they add butter and salt)
Ming connoisseurship
- tea remained associated with temples in the mountains and connect to monks/literatis - extending into Ming, educated people decided not to serve imperial gov - tea production for the elite grew
monks and tea
- tea viewed as helpful for meditation/clearing head so it became a regular part of practice - bc monks wandered, spread of tea tied to them - some monks had wealthy/educated backgrounds, and knowing which teas were "good" was a sign of class - tea viewed as not self indulging but also a good gift
tea and temples
- temples on monasteries on mountains where tea could be grown - temples were wealthy institutions that sometimes had agricultural land, manpower, processing facilities - this resulted in tea becoming cash crop, also allowed them to follow strict dietary restrictions
The Mongols
- term mongol used to describe broad Mongolic-speaking tribes under Genghis Khan - in the Yuan dynasty, mongols continued tea monopoly for revenue, not for horses - Yuan dynasty fell in 1368, but mongols remained active in chinese politics and were constant border threat
Tea, Tibet, and Buddhism
- tibetans used to aged tea - most mongol religion was Shamanism - Yellow hat school of Tibetan buddhism, Geluk, becomes the state religion in Mongolia in 1576 - Sonam Gyatso becomes Dalai Lama in 1578 - Dalai lama gained full temporal control over tibet in the 17th century in alliance w Qing Dynasty
Was tea just a commodity in the Qing Dynasty?
No, although it was ubiquitous, it remained the subject of intense intellectual, religious, and political study 1. The Manchu-Chinese divide 2. Tea wares and Jingdezhen 3. Taste and aesthetics
Are black tea and green tea different teas?
No, although there are two main varieties of tea, the color difference results from processing 1. tea varieties 2. oxidation and processing 3. infusing, steeping, decocting, and brewing
Did the tea drinking ceremony ruin tea drinking?
No, because only a small part of Japanese society actually took part in it 1. Sen no Rikyu 2. How did he transform tea drinking? 3. The tea ceremony
Was tea first brought to Korea from India?
No, tea came to Korea from China, not India where it was not drunk until much later 1. The Indian Legend 2. True origins 3. The vestiges of tea
Was tea in Tibet connected to Buddhism?
No, tea was always a commodity in Tibet 1. The origins of the Tibetan tea trade 2. The Tea and Horse Trade from the Yuan to the Qing 3. Buddhism in Tibet
Was Buddhism responsible for the rise of tea drinking?
No, though it fit well with Buddhist institutions and practices 1. Buddhist dietary restrictions 2. tea and temples 3. monks and tea
Did commodification break the connection with Buddhism?
Not completely, but it did segment the meaning of tea, retaining some Buddhist connection but also breaking the connection for most people by the Song. 1. Originally a southern drink 2. transport networks 3. widespread consumption outside of Buddhism
Was tea originally used as medicine?
Yes, and it continues to have that function even today 1. health properties of tea 2. earliest uses 3. continued use as medicine
Was tea connoisseurship a reaction to commodification?
Yes, as tea became a regular beverage and trade good, literati sought to distinguish their consumption 1. Drinking tea in the early Song 2. The tea and horse trade 3. Writing about tea
Was tea a political tool for controlling the Mongols?
Yes, because Tibetan Buddhism and tea became entwined with Mongol political power 1. The Mongols 2. Tea and the Mongols 3. Tea, Tibet, and Buddhism
Did Tea-drinking change because of the first Ming Emperor?
Yes, because he rejected elite tea drinking practices. It had already changed slightly, but he was poor and not elite and rejected song bc they were beaten by mongols 1. Steppe tea drinking 2. Zhu Yuanshang 3. Ming Connoisseurship
Was tea in Japan intrinsically Buddhist?
Yes, it was imported and spread through Buddhism 1. How and when tea got to Japan 2. Who drank tea (and why) 3. How it retained its Buddhist connection
