History of matcha tea: from Song diancha to the legacy of Uji

History of Matcha Tea: Song Dynasty, Black Bowls, and Uji

The matcha we enjoy in a bowl today has a history that began centuries earlier in China during the Song Dynasty. It was there that a method for preparing powdered tea was consolidated, laying the groundwork for what would eventually flourish in Japan as matcha.

Chinese Origins: Powdered Tea and the Diancha Method

During the Song Dynasty, tea was finely ground, sieved, and prepared with hot water in a process known as diancha. This method, with its well-defined steps of grinding the tea, sifting it, and heating the water, occupies a key transitional place in tea history and is the direct precursor to Japanese matcha.

Song tea culture also left its mark on the selection of serving pieces. Emperor Song Huizong, author of the treatise Da Guan Cha Lun, praised blue-black glazed bowls and particularly valued the "hare's fur" glaze effects, an aesthetic associated with the celebrated Jian pottery pieces, known today as Jian Zhan. In daily practice, black, green, and white glazed bowls were common among Song users, with black ones achieving great prestige.

A revealing anecdote of cultural exchange: Japanese monks studying in China brought these Jian bowls from the Mount Tianmu area to Japan. There they began to be called tenmoku, a name that was generally adopted to refer to these black glazed pieces, reflecting the profound Song influence on Japanese tea service.

Why Black Bowls Were the Kings of Whisked Tea and the Direct Bridge to Matcha

Imagine a fragrant wooden table, oil lamps, and two tea masters facing each other. Each one whisks their powdered tea with a firm and elegant rhythm. The judges don't just look at the taste: they look for a white, dense foam, without marks in the bowl. In Song China, that foam was the pride of the diancha technique. And that's where the black bowl comes into play.

Why they preferred tea this way and what role the black bowl played

• Foam rules: In competitions of the time, the whiter, finer, and more persistent the foam, the better. The deep black of Jian Zhan bowls made this "snow" stand out at a glance. The contrast was not a whim; it was a criterion of excellence.
• Heat well kept: Jian bowls, thick and rich in iron glazes, retained temperature better. Stable heat helps the whisking to emulsify and the foam to last longer, just as it does today when we prepare a good usucha.
• Shape designed for whisking: wide mouth, walls that collect the whisk's movement, and a bottom with just the right depth for the tea to "gain body" without splashing. Preheating the bowl was a key step to ensure the foam adhered cleanly, leaving no water marks on the wall.
• Texture that enhances light: these dark glazes with "hare's fur" or "oil spot" effects were not just beautiful. Their shine and microtexture made the white film left by the foam glow when the whisking was perfect.
• Status and refined taste: Emperor Huizong explicitly praised dark bowls for "making the tea's color shine." It was not a fleeting trend: it was the official aesthetic of an art.

From Jian bowl to tenmoku and matcha chawan The Japanese monks who traveled to China fell in love with this winning triad: powdered tea, vigorously whisked, in a black bowl to enhance the foam. They brought Jian bowls from the Mount Tianmu area to Japan, and over time, they were called tenmoku there. Initially, when matcha was taking root in monasteries and courts, the tenmoku was the reference bowl. Over the centuries, the tea ceremony developed other chawan profiles, but the visual and functional principle remained: an interior that helps whisking and allows the foam to be "read."

From China to Japan: Eisai and the Birth of the Matcha Path

At the end of the 12th century, the Zen monk Eisai returned from China with tea seeds and, above all, knowledge about powdered tea and its health benefits. In Japan, he wrote Kissa Yojoki, a work that explained the virtues of tea and guidelines for its cultivation and consumption.

The most cited scene from this story occurred in 1214: Shogun Minamoto no Sanetomo was suffering from a severe hangover. According to the medieval chronicle Azuma Kagami, Eisai offered him a cup of tea and presented him with his treatise, after which the ruler recovered. This episode solidified the prestige of tea in the court and marked a before and after in its spread in Japan.

Uji and the Consolidation of Matcha: From Tencha to the Tea Ceremony

Over time, the Uji area, in present-day Kyoto Prefecture, became a nerve center. There, the practice of producing tencha, specially processed leaves that, once ground, give rise to matcha, crystallized. Matcha tea was refined along with the culture of the tea ceremony, key to understanding its identity and its association with Uji.

The Uji tradition not only preserved artisanal techniques such as the classic shading of tea gardens but also maintains historical equipment in use. Factories can still be found that use Horiishi-type tencha drying ovens, a living rarity that testifies to technical continuity from earlier times.

Meanwhile, on the global map, the Chinese legacy from which this story originates has received contemporary recognition: in 2022, traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices in China were inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, underscoring the historical depth and cultural relevance of these traditions.

Quick Timeline

• 10th-13th centuries, Song China: the diancha method with ground and sifted tea is codified, a bridging stage in tea history and direct antecedent of matcha.
• Late 12th century, Japan: the monk Eisai returns from China with tea seeds and knowledge of powdered tea, and composes Kissa Yojoki.
• 1214, Kamakura: Eisai offers tea and his book to Shogun Sanetomo, an episode recorded in Azuma Kagami that boosts the prestige of tea in Japan.
• Muromachi and Sengoku: tencha production becomes established in Uji and matcha tea is integrated and perfected alongside the tea ceremony.
• 20th-21st centuries: Uji preserves traditional shading and drying methods for tencha; China sees its living tea heritage internationally recognized.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What was the diancha method in Song China? It was the preparation of powdered tea after grinding and sifting, with a well-established protocol that positions it as a key link between ancient cooking methods and subsequent practices, and as a direct antecedent of matcha.

• What is the difference between tencha and matcha? Tencha is the specially processed leaf that, when finely ground, becomes matcha.

• Why were black bowls used in the Song era? For aesthetic and visual contrast with the beverage, and for the appreciation of the glazing effects of Jian pieces; this predilection was recorded by Emperor Huizong himself and led to the prestige of black bowls, later called tenmoku in Japan.