Database: Tea Production in Uji Tawara

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According to legend, the monk Myōe (1173-1232) personally received tea plants from China for his garden. They were from Eisai (the founder of Zen in Japan) which Myôe planted throughout Japan. Notably, tea was planted in Uji, a small town near a bridge that crosses the Uji River on the road from Nara to Kyoto. As it turns out, Uji had ideal geographical and meteorological conditions to produce exceptional tea plants, possessing a balance of humidity and sunlight, as well as acidic and well-draining soil. By the 15th century, the "Seven Tea Fields in Uji" were so famous as to be the topic of waka poems.

Also, around this time, "oishita" was developed. This was a new method of tea cultivation that involved shading young tea shoots for 20 to 30 days before gathering leaves. This limited the plant's production of the astringent catechin and increased its production of theanine, which gives the tea its delicate aroma and sweet taste. This method was used in Uji to produce its two most famous teas: gyokuro (a high-quality green tea with a sweet taste) grown mostly in shaded areas and matcha (a finely crushed powered green tea).

In the 16th century, with the development of the tea ceremony among the great daimyō, it became ritualized. This was particularly under the influence of the tea master Sen no Rikyū who liked to use the best tea varieties, including Uji Tawara, which he helped make even more prestigious. In towns, a new profession emerged, tea merchants. This allowed the public to choose tea varieties in a shop. Additionally, Tea [sic] merchants were often tea masters who modestly contributed to the spread of this beverage among the affluent urban classes.