Travel

Birthplace of Japanese Tea Holds Ceremony

Shiga, Jun 01 (News On Japan) - A tea offering ceremony was held on May 31st at Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, considered the birthplace of Japanese tea.

The Sakamoto area, where Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine is located, is known as the birthplace of Japanese tea due to a legend that Saicho, who founded the Tendai sect about 1,200 years ago, brought back tea seeds from Tang China and planted them here. The ceremony began at 10 a.m. at Nishihongu Shrine within Hiyoshi Taisha, with Sen Soshu from the Urasenke school preparing tea according to ancient traditions.

In the temple grounds filled with the fragrance of fresh greenery, about 200 members of the Urasenke school and tourists watched as Shinto priests offered thick and thin tea to the gods, praying for the prosperity of the tea ceremony. Hiyoshi Taisha will host another tea offering ceremony by the Omotesenke school in November.

Source: YOMIURI

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