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Tea and Zen: From the Koan 'Kissa Ko' to the Unity of Tea and Meditation
"Kissa ko" — just drink some tea — this Zen phrase embodies the unity of tea and meditation. From Murata Juko and Sen no Rikyu deepening cha-zen ichimi at Daitokuji, to zazen and matcha experiences at Kenninji, Engakuji, and Kenchoji, this guide explains how to touch the depth of a bowl of tea at Zen temples.
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Author
Hijiri
| Shrines & Temples
Contents
MOKUJI
一
Why Tea Became a Zen Practice
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二
Kissa Ko as a Koan — When "Drink Tea" Becomes a Zen Puzzle
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三
Daitokuji and the Deepening of Cha-Zen Ichimi — Ikkyu, Juko, Rikyu
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四
Tea and Zen in Practice — From Zazen to Matcha
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五
Related Spots and Pilgrimage Points
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六
Frequently Asked Questions
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“Kissa ko” (喫茶去) — just drink some tea. This phrase from the Tang-dynasty Zen master Zhaozhou encapsulates the moment when Zen and tea became one. When Sen no Rikyu declared that “the way of tea is nothing more than boiling water, making tea, and drinking it,” he was drawing from the same well.
Zafu cushions and zabuton mats arranged in the zazen hall of Kenninji temple (Higashiyama, Kyoto). The simple tools of seated Zen practice at the temple Eisai founded in 1202 — the very space where tea and Zen first met in Japan.
Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0 / photo by Raelene Gutierrez (Flickr)
Why Tea Became a Zen Practice
Zen cultivation aims at “being completely present in this moment.” During seated meditation, drowsiness is the practitioner’s greatest adversary. Tea, which promotes wakefulness, was first used in Chinese Zen monasteries as a support for practice. The act of whisking tea, the act of drinking it — these sequences became, in themselves, a field for clearing distraction and returning to the present.
Eisai and Kenninji — The Starting Point of Japan’s Tea-Zen
The figure who brought this “integration of tea and Zen” to Japan was Myoan Eisai (1141–1215). After his second journey to Song China in 1187, Eisai introduced both the Rinzai Zen teachings and the Song method of preparing powdered tea. His Kissa Yojoki (1211) argues that “tea is the miraculous medicine for health,” but embedded in that argument is the understanding of tea as an instrument of Zen practice.
Kenninji (Kyoto, Higashiyama), which Eisai founded in 1202, is the starting point of tea-and-Zen in Japan. The stone tea monument in the precinct honors him as the father of Japanese tea. Today, visitors can drink matcha on these same grounds where the tradition began. The annual Yotsugashira tea ceremony (around 20 April) re-enacts the Kamakura-period tea ritual for those who register in advance.
The Three Contexts in Which Zen Temples Used Tea
Zen temples used tea in three distinct contexts: as an aid to wakefulness during zazen; as secha (施茶, offering tea to all participants after a dharma ceremony); and as sarei (茶礼, a formalised ritual combining tea and Zen dialogue). Taken together, these practices made “the act of drinking tea” itself a component of spiritual cultivation.
Portrait of Myōan Eisai (1141–1215), founder of Japanese Rinzai Zen and abbot of Kenninji, holding his master's staff. He brought both Zen teaching and Song-dynasty whisked tea to Japan, earning the title 'ancestor of tea.' Kenninji collection. 12th century, unknown artist.
Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain / Kenninji collection
Kissa Ko as a Koan — When “Drink Tea” Becomes a Zen Puzzle
Zhaozhou’s Exchange and the Meaning of the Koan
“Kissa ko” originates in the dialogues of Zhaozhou Congshen (778–897), a Tang-dynasty Zen master.
The Monk’s Situation
Zhaozhou’s Answer
“I have never been here before”
Kissa ko
“I have been here before”
Kissa ko
Abbot asks: “Why the same answer?”
Kissa ko
Whether the monk has been here before or not, whether beginner or adept — what matters is being present now, before this bowl of tea. Zhaozhou’s “heijosin kore do” (平常心是道, ordinary mind is the way) and kissa ko are two facets of the same teaching.
The Heart of Cha-Zen Ichimi
When Sen no Rikyu taught ichi-go ichi-e (一期一会, once-in-a-lifetime encounter), he was tracing a line back to Zhaozhou’s kissa ko. Pour everything into the act of whisking tea in this precise moment. This is the heart of cha-zen ichimi (茶禅一味, the single flavor shared by tea and Zen).
Daitokuji and the Deepening of Cha-Zen Ichimi — Ikkyu, Juko, Rikyu
Murata Juko (1423–1502) crystallised cha-zen ichimi as a worked-out philosophy. Juko studied Zen under Ikkyu Sojun, whose home was Daitokuji (Kyoto, Kita-ku). At Daitokuji, Juko sharpened his Zen intuition and carried it into the tea world — the founding act of wabi-cha.
Rikyu’s Zen at Daitokuji
Sen no Rikyu (1522–1591) engaged Zen even more deeply at Daitokuji. His most trusted Zen master, Kokei Sochin, served as abbot of Daitokuji, providing the Zen vocabulary that underpinned Rikyu’s tea aesthetics. When Rikyu said “the way of tea is nothing more than boiling water, making tea, and drinking it,” the word “nothing more” carries exactly the same Zen charge as kissa ko.
After Rikyu’s death, the sub-temple Juko-in at Daitokuji became his grave, and remains the ancestral temple of the Sen family.
Daisen-in, a sub-temple of Daitokuji founded in 1509 by Kogaku Soko, a disciple of Ikkyu Sojun. Its celebrated karesansui garden — white sand and rocks evoking the landscapes of nature — is a masterwork of the Muromachi period. Located within the Daitokuji grounds where Murata Juko refined cha-zen ichimi under Ikkyu's guidance.
Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 / photo by Hiro2006
Tea and Zen in Practice — From Zazen to Matcha
Kamakura Zen Temples and Tea Experiences
Engakuji (Kamakura), founded by Hojo Tokimune in 1282, ranks second among the Kamakura Five Mountains. General-public zazen sessions are held on early weekend mornings. Drinking tea quietly in the precinct after zazen follows the original form of the sarei that Eisai introduced.
Kenchoji, founded in 1253, is Japan’s first full Zen monastic academy — ranked first among the Kamakura Five Mountains. Zazen experiences are offered here as well.
Tofukuji’s Zen Garden and Matcha
Tofukuji (Kyoto, Higashiyama), founded in 1236, is the fourth-ranked temple of the Kyoto Five Mountains. Mirei Shigemori’s 1939 hojo garden — a geometric dry-landscape composition of stone and moss — is a visual expression of Zen itself. Drinking matcha while viewing this garden is a body-level experience of cha-zen ichimi.
Related Spots and Pilgrimage Points
Spot
Connection to Cha-Zen Ichimi
Kenninji
Eisai’s founding; Yotsugashira tea ceremony (April)
Daitokuji
Ikkyu, Juko, Rikyu, Kokei Sochin — the lineage of cha-zen ichimi
Tofukuji
Mirei Shigemori’s hojo garden; matcha viewing experience
Engakuji
Weekend early zazen; Kamakura Five Mountains second-ranked
Kenchoji
Japan’s first Zen academy; zazen experience available
Pilgrimage Points to Remember
•
Yotsugashira ceremony (Kenninji, around 20 April): Check the official website for public participation details
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Zazen sessions (Engakuji, Kenchoji, etc.): Early weekend mornings, generally without reservation — confirm on each temple’s official site
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Matcha experience (Kenninji, Tofukuji, etc.): Allow 30–60 minutes; sometimes bundled with garden admission
Suggested Pilgrimage Circuits
Kyoto circuit: Kenninji (Eisai, tea ritual) → Daitokuji (Ikkyu-Juko-Rikyu lineage) → Tofukuji (Zen garden and matcha)
Kamakura circuit: Engakuji (early-morning zazen) → Kenchoji (Japan’s first Zen academy)
Zhaozhou is still saying “kissa ko” somewhere in a Zen hall today. The shortest path to hearing it is to stand in the precinct of a Zen temple, sit quietly before a bowl of tea, and ask yourself: what else is needed?
Ensō — the Zen circle drawn in a single uninhibited brushstroke, symbolizing enlightenment, emptiness, and the universe. Hanging scrolls bearing ensō alongside Zen phrases such as 'Kissako' and 'Cha-Zen Ichimi' are the visual language of the tea room. Brushwork by Thich Nhat Hanh (1926–2022).
Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0 / calligraphy by Thich Nhat Hanh
Frequently Asked Questions
How is “kissa ko” (喫茶去) read and what does it mean?
Read as “kissa ko.” “Ki” means drink, “ssa” is tea, and “ko” is a particle urging action — roughly “go on and drink some tea.” As a Zen koan, it is interpreted as pointing to being present in this moment, unconstrained by past experience or conceptual frameworks.
What does cha-zen ichimi (茶禅一味) mean?
Literally “tea and Zen share a single flavor.” It describes the insight that whisking tea and practicing Zen aim at the same state — complete presence without mental elaboration. Attributed to Murata Juko, who brought the Zen intuition he learned from Ikkyu Sojun into the tea world.
Can I do zazen at Kenninji?
Kenninji offers standard visiting and a matcha experience, but the availability of zazen sessions varies by season. Engakuji and Kenchoji in Kamakura hold regular general-public sessions; if zazen is your primary goal, Kamakura offers more consistent options.
Can I drink matcha while viewing Tofukuji’s hojo garden?
Certain on-site facilities at Tofukuji may offer matcha, but the availability changes by season. Check the official website before visiting, or ask at the reception on arrival.
What is the difference between ichi-go ichi-e and kissa ko?
Zhaozhou’s kissa ko is an immediate prompt toward action in the present: “drink tea now.” Rikyu’s ichi-go ichi-e is a recognition of the irreversibility of each encounter: “this moment will never come again.” Both aim at full presence in the now, but kissa ko emphasises the act, while ichi-go ichi-e emphasises the uniqueness of the encounter.
最終更新: 2026年4月25日
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Author
Hijiri（ひじり）
Shrines & Temples
Toku editorial team — shrines and temples. Former designer who reads temple architecture and gardens through an aesthetic lens, quietly tracing the lineages of sects and doctrines.
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History truly comes alive when you visit in person. Choose your next destination from the related sites and pilgrimage courses below.
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