JULV I, 1886.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



4i 



TEA AND TEA CUSTOMS IN JAPAN. 



A very iuteresting historical and descriptive article 

 on the cultivation of tea and on tea customs in Japan, 

 by F. A. Junker von Langegg, appeared in the 

 February number of the English IlLv.strated Magazine. 

 He places the time of the introduction of tea in the 

 first half of the eighth century, a. d., basing it upon 

 the record of a " religious festival in 1'29, at which 

 the Mikado entertained the Buddhist priests with tea, 

 a hitherto unknown beverage from Corea, this country 

 haviug been for many centuries the high road of 

 Chinese culture to Japan. Plantations were laid out 

 in 815 by order of Saga Tenno, the itikado. The 

 product was prepared after the Chinese custom by 

 being first steamed, then dried and ground into a 

 fiae powder. Subsequently it became almost unknown 

 and was not permanently cultivated until 1199-1210. 

 In 1200, tea seeds were brought from Chiui and 

 planted in the northern province of the island Kiu- 

 Shiu, the climate of which was particularly favorable 

 for the growth of the tea plant. Uji in the province 

 of Yamashiro has since that time been famous for 

 the superior quality of its tea. The growers in that 

 village still show their appreciation of the abbot of 

 the monastery who introduced the plant by annually 

 offering at his shrine the first-gathered tea leaves. 

 Prior to 1570 it was the custom to immerse the 

 leaves in boiling water, immediately after picking, and, 

 after having dried them in the sun, to make them 

 into powder. 



In 1670 a tea merchant invented an apparatus 

 called Hoiro, for drying the leaves, but it was not 

 universally used for "tiring" until llld. Until the 

 year 1700 tea leaves were fired in a pan, which process 

 was called Nabe-iri, " pot roasting." 



" Tbe same tea merchant also first distinguished two 

 sorts of tea, the Usu-cha, 'light tea,' and the Koi-cha, 

 ' dark tea. The word 'Usa' in this instance means 

 •light, thin,' and, although spelled in Japanese like 

 'Csu, to pound,' is written with a different Chinese 

 character. He likewise was the first who introduced 

 matting covers raised on poles about eight feet high, 

 in order to protect the plantation in winter against 

 hoar frost, and in summer against the sun. Such 

 covers are still universally in use. When riding, in 

 June, the time when the young leaves, which yield 

 the first quality of green tea, are fully developed, the 

 whole country about Uji is under matting, over which 

 the head of the horseman just rises, so that, with 

 the exception of the distant hills and mountains and 

 the roofs of the homesteads, the landscape is hidden 

 from his view. 



" In Japan green tea in leaf is universally used. 

 Powdered tea, which at present is most expensive 

 luxury, is reserved for rare ceremonious occasions. 

 Tea is not prepared by making an infusion with 

 boiling water, as is habitual with us, but the boiling 

 water is first carefully cooled in another vessel to 

 176 deg. F. The leaves are renewed for every infusion, 

 the same never being used for inexhaustible replen- 

 ishings of the teapot, as is our custom. Tea prepared 

 in the Japanese manner is of the color of pale Sherry 

 or Sauterne, and constitutes a most refreshing, re- 

 viving beverage, especially when travelling or when 

 fatigued by exertion. The Japanese, like the Chinese, 

 drink tea without milk or sugar, which, they contend, 

 spoil the delicate aroma ; but they recommend the use 

 of both with black and green teas of inferior quality, 

 prepared after the Chinese method, in order to cover 

 their roughness. 



" The preparation of good tea is considered by the 

 Japanese almost an art. Persons particularly expert 

 in this accomplishment are called 'Chajin,' lit., 'tea- 

 man.' 



" Tea is cultivated in Japan as far as to 40 deg. 

 N. The best tea land is the district of Uji in the 

 province of Yama.shiro, after which the plantatiors 

 of the other provinces rank in the following order ; — 

 Those of Omi, Ise, Shimosi, Eehiu, Totomi, Kadzusa, 

 Inab",^ Suwo, Sui-ugo, Na:Ja^o and Musashi on the 

 luiiiu i-land Hon-do, and those of Hizen and Higo on 

 the Isbud of Kiu-shiu, ' Nine lauds," " 

 tj 



I The tea plant must be raised from seeds. ^ 



I " The first leaves are gathered in the fourth year. 

 The harvest commences m the beginning of the sum- 



[ mer, when only tlio youngest leaves are picked. 



; Thirty days after the first gathering the second takes 

 place. Some tea growers have lately made a third 

 picking, in cou-equence of tie rise in the price of 

 tea, but this proceeding ought to be energetically 

 discountenanced, as it has proved most injurious to 

 the plant." 



The success and excellence attained by the Japan- 

 ese in many undertakings, is ascribed by F A. Junker 

 Von Langegg. to their treatment of detail; they being, 

 "great in small things." He describes their treat- 

 ment of tea leaves -is c>rried on at Uji as follows: 

 The leaves, immediately after having been gathered, 

 are taken to tlie factory. The tea plant abounds in 

 stipules, and is thus unlike other plants of the order 

 of the Ternstroemiaceas, which are usually ex-stipuiate. 

 Here the stipules are separated by means of a bamboo 

 sieve, and all impurities are removed. This done, tue 

 leaves are exposed to the action of steam, by placi>ig 

 them on a bamboo hurdle over water heated to 200 

 deg. F. in a covered pan. Those intended for t«a 

 in leaf are steamed for fifteen seconds, tho.se intende.l 

 for powdered tea for half-a-minute. After this, thev f-r 

 tnicovered, turned and airtd by means of fans in the 

 shape of the wellknown palm-fans of ihe leaf of th 

 Con/pha rotiindifolM. Lenn. The.se fans, which serve 

 for a great many purposes, are called Uchi-wa. and 

 are made of a frame of spilt bamboo covered with 

 pai)er. 



IJefore the steam has ceased to escape, the leaves 

 are placed in a basket, " the cooler," in which they 

 are continually turned and fanned. The fanning must 

 be particularly attended to, else the leaves wotild turn 

 yellow and lose their fine aroma. 



AVhen perfectly cooled, the leaves are taken to the 

 Hoiro, the apparatus for "firing the tea." The Hoiro 

 proper is merely that portion which contains the fuel, 

 but this term is generall extended to the whole ap- 

 paratus, in which sense I likewise shall use it i 1 this 

 paper. It is a wooden frame measuring six feet by 

 four, lined with a layer of eement, and covered with 

 an iron grate, a short distance above which a copper- 

 wire net is stretched. On this the desiccator holding 

 the leaves is placed. The desiccator is a box of ex- 

 actly the same dimensions as the Hoiro proper, formed 

 of a wooden framework anu piper. 



The fuel, of which twenty-three pounds are used 

 for every firing, consists of equal parts of charcoal 

 of hard and of soft wood. When the fire is quite 

 bright a sufficient quantity of straw is burnt to obtain 

 a layer of ashes in order to prevent the direct action 

 of the radiating heat. During the process of firing, 

 the leaves are continually rolled between tbe hands 

 until they commence shrivelling and are nearly dry, 

 when they are transferred to a SL'cond Hoiro for com- 

 plete desiccation. In preparing the sort of tea which 

 is known by the name of Giyoku-ro-cha, lit.: "Dew- 

 drop tea," the leaves are steamed but for an inst mt, 

 and while drying over a .<ilow fire, each single leaf 

 is most carefully rolled betwen the fingers. 



The leaves when perfectly dry are removed from 

 the Hoiro, into sieves of copper-wire, in which the 

 petioles, which may have remained attached, are 

 separated by gentle rubbing between the palms of 

 the hands. 



-After having been winnowed the leaves are assorted 

 into three qualities, and sifted through bamboo .'ieves, 

 of which there are six different degrees of fineness. 

 Common tea is sifted but once, tliL' better qualities 

 from six to .seven Limes, and the powdered tea even 

 as often as ten times, which expeiiditmc in time and 

 labor renders this kind of tea extremely dear. 



The leaves for the powdered tea are likewise desic- 

 cated on iiio Hoiro, but in a .somewhat ditfereut man- 

 ner. The apparatus consists merely of the lower bos 

 for the fuel, with a grating of bambo.i instead of the 

 iron grate and the wire-net on the top. On this is 

 placed a bamboo hurdle covereil with a sheot of card- 

 board of the same size as the Hoiro proper, on which 



