THE LITTLE TEA BOOK 



and for four centuries thereafter, tea 

 fell into disuse, and almost oblivion, 

 among the Japanese. The nobility, 

 and Buddhist priests, however, con- 

 tinued to drink it as a luxury. 



During the reign of the eighty- 

 third Emperor, 1199-1210 A.D., the 

 cultivation of tea was permanently 

 established in Japan. In 1200, the 

 bonze, Yei-Sei, brought tea seeds 

 from China, which he planted on 

 the mountains in one of the most 

 northern provinces. Yei-Sei is also 

 credited with introducing the Chi- 

 nese custom of ceremonious tea- 

 drinking. At any rate, he presented 

 tea seeds to Mei-ki, the abbot of the 

 monastery of To-gano (to whom the 

 use of tea had been recommended for 

 its stimulating properties), and in- 

 structed him in the mystery of its 



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