03-08-2025
History of Japan's ‘Oldest Tea Garden' in Shiga Pref. Preserved by Local Group; Tea Lovers Recreate Tea from Tang Dynasty
OTSU — In Shiga Prefecture, there are many tea-producing areas including Asamiya and Tsuchiyama in Koka, and Mandokoro in Higashiomi. It is also home to Hiyoshi Chaen in Otsu's Sakamoto area, considered to be the oldest tea garden in Japan. The area is also known for its historic streetscape, dotted with unique Ano shuzumi stone walls and stonemasonry of various sizes in natural shapes.
In collaboration with Otsu city government, tea enthusiasts are engaged in learning the history of tea in Sakamoto in order to pass it on to future generations.
In May, 47 participating university students picked new tea leaves as part of an event held by a project launched by a local group to pass on Japan's oldest tea tradition to the next generation. The students appeared impressed with tea tree branches peeking through the gaps in the walls.
Saicho, who established the Tendaishu sect of Buddhism in the ninth century, is said to have brought tea seeds from China during the Tang dynasty and planted them at the tea garden in 805. This tea is believed to be the origin of Asamiya tea.
Held to recreate the tea of the Tang dynasty, the event was held on the day considered auspicious for tea were split into groups and harvested about 1.2 kilograms of new tea leaves growing atop stone walls. After placing the leaves in a steamer, they were then pounded with a pestle and ground in a mortar before using wooden molds to shape into discs. These discs were dried over several days to become heicha tea.
'I am involved in promoting aspects of Japanese culture such as Asamiya tea and zazen meditation, but even I didn't realize how difficult it is to prepare tea. I want to convey the value of tea [through my business],' Reon Ono, a 25-year-old company owner from Kyoto City, said after experiencing heicha tea making.
Tea enthusiasts, researchers and others, including those linked to Mt. Hiei, launched the project in 2021 with the aim of preserving tea tree resources and promoting their cultural use. Project members currently are engaged in surveys on the distribution of tea trees in the Sakamoto area and historical documents.
'With the completion of Hiyoshi Chaen's renovation work this year, I believe the preservation of valuable tea tree resources has reached a significant milestone. We want to consider how to make use of them and hold events to allow many people to participate,' said Mika Horii, 59, who leads the project.
Hiroki Takahashi provided insight for the project as a curator at the Otsu City Museum of History knowledgeable about the history of tea in Otsu.
According to Takahashi, the historical book 'Nihon Koki' tells of a monk who studied in Tang dynasty China and made and served tea to Emperor Saga during the emperor's visit to Omi, now part of Shiga Prefecture, in 815.
In addition, an 18th-century map called Sanmon-Santo Sakamoto Soezu, housed at the National Archives of Japan in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, shows the location of a Ochaen tea garden, nearly identical to that of Hiyoshi Chaen. Descriptions in the Tairoku Meicha Mokuroku (1890), a catalog of tea brands from the Sakamoto area at the foot of Mt. Hiei, also suggest premium teas were sold as local specialty 1953, there was a movement centered around Hiyoshi Taisha shrine in Otsu to have Hiyoshi Chaen designated as a national historic site.
Since 2024, the Otsu city government has been conducting a three-year field study on the redevelopment of Hiyoshi Chaen as part of a comprehensive study on the tea culture of the Sakamoto area.
The study is based on a plan to survey, preserve and utilize cultural properties of the city, including the prospect of surveying tea trees in China in the future. The city will also collaborate with the project team to work to provide materials for regional revitalization and promote the tea culture of Otsu.
The heicha tea prepared through the project will be reserved for Hiyoshi Taisha and Hieizan Enryakuji temple in Otsu, founded by Saicho. The team is also planning to host a tea ceremony to debut the heicha made in the Sakamoto area at Hiyoshi Taisha on Oct. 25.
