is a type of green tea

Green tea

Green tea is made solely from the leaves of Camellia sinensis that have undergone minimal oxidation during processing. Green tea originates from China and has become associated with many cultures throughout Asia. It has recently become more widespread in the West, where black tea is traditionally...

 leaves produced mainly in the southwestern region of Saitama Prefecture

Saitama Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama.This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which a large amount of residents commute each day.- History...

 and a small neighboring area in Northwestern Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

. In comparison to teas from other tea-growing regions in Japan, Sayama Tea is characterized with its thick leaves. This is because the region is considered to be fairly north, and the cool climate, which sometimes causes frost in winter, makes trees unable to survive without thick leaves.

Characteristics

Through selective breeding, efforts to develop tea trees strong in cold weather have been undertaken for many years. As a result, trees of Sayama Tea evolved to have thick leaves that can withstand cold weather. Tea extracted from such thick leaves resulted in a distinct sweet and rich flavor.

Region

The Musashino Plateau on which Sayama Tea is grown is suitable for tea growing. The plateau consists of two layers. The lower layer consists of conglomerates and sandstones that were brought to this region by rivers. The upper layer is made of a reddish loam created by the accumulation of volcanic ash. Together, these two layers make the region unsuitable for growing rice but suitable for tea growing, which requires high precipitation and high soil permeability.

History

It is known that the Japanese people started growing tea trees roughly 800 years ago when Buddhist monks who traveled to China brought back seeds. A historical document from the Nanboku-chō period, , mentions as one of the best regions for tea along with , , , , and . However, the production of tea was interrupted by war during the Sengoku period

Sengoku period

The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...

.

Widespread tea growing restarted in the Mid-Edo period

Edo period

The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....

. In 1802, a technique called , first steaming and then roasting on the surface of washi

Washi

is a type of paper made in Japan. Washi is commonly made using fibers from the bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub , or the paper mulberry, but also can be made using bamboo, hemp, rice, and wheat...

 was invented by , , and , based on the Uji roasting technique, which was deemed the best method in Japan at that time. This led to the revival of tea production in the region. In 1819 (Bunsei

Bunsei

was a after Bunka and before Tenpō. This period spanned the years from April 1818 through December 1830. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:...

 2), tea leaves produced in this method started to be shipped to Edo

Edo

, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...

 in large amounts, receiving good reputations.

After the Meiji Restoration

Meiji Restoration

The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...

, tea became one of the important exporting goods. Sayama Tea was exported to North America. In 1875 (Meiji 8), a privately owned company “Sayama Corporation” started direct exports of tea to the US. Around this time, the name of Sayama Tea began to be fixed. Although the war cause the production of tea to dwindle, the production soon recovered and by the 1960s and 1970s reached its peak. At present, however, the production and the area of tea fell to nearly half of those in the 1970s.

External links

• http://www.alit.city.iruma.saitama.jp/07tea-museum/index.html Iruma Municipal Museum, Tea Museum website
• http://www.cnet-sc.ne.jp/sym-cha/ the Saitama Prefecture Tea Industry Society official website
• http://iruma-cha.jp/ the Iruma Tea Industry Society official website