The Monk Who Cured the Shogun's Hangover With Tea — Eisai and the Origin of Japanese Tea
In 1214 Shogun Sanetomo was suffering from a hangover when monk Eisai brought tea and his 'Kissa Yojoki' (Drinking Tea for Health). 'Tea is the elixir of life.' This moment helped launch Japanese tea culture.
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Eisai brought Rinzai Zen and tea seeds from Song China on two dangerous sea voyages. His 1211 ‘Kissa Yojoki’ (Drinking Tea for Health) was Japan’s first book on tea. In 1214 he brought tea to the ailing Shogun Sanetomo, helping spread tea culture into samurai society.
Kenninji, Kyoto — one of Japan's oldest Zen temples, founded by Eisai. Where Zen and tea culture met
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Tea ceremony — the tea Eisai brought from China, used first in Zen practice, eventually evolved into Rikyu's wabi-cha
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Kenchoji, Kamakura — first of the Kamakura Five Mountains, inheriting the Zen tradition Eisai introduced