Who Invented Matcha? The History of Powdered Green Tea

The history of matcha is a story of cultural transfer, refinement, and transformation. It did not emerge fully formed in Japan — it was brought from China and then developed into something distinctly Japanese over several centuries.

Origins in China

Powdered tea was developed in China during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE). Tea was processed into compressed bricks, then ground and whisked with hot water. This method became widespread during the Song Dynasty (960–1279 CE), when powdered tea was elevated to an art form consumed in formal settings.

Arrival in Japan

The Buddhist monk Eisai is credited with bringing tea seeds and the practice of drinking powdered tea from China to Japan in 1191. He planted tea at Kozanji temple in Kyoto and wrote a treatise advocating for tea's health benefits. Tea drinking spread rapidly among Buddhist monasteries, where it was used to sustain concentration during meditation, then into samurai and aristocratic culture.

The development of chado

The Japanese tea ceremony developed over the following centuries, shaped significantly by tea master Sen no Rikyu (1522–1591). Rikyu distilled the ceremony's aesthetic into wabi-cha — finding beauty in simplicity, imperfection, and impermanence. Three schools of tea — Ura Senke, Omote Senke, and Mushakoji Senke — trace their lineage directly to his teachings.

The decline in China and preservation in Japan

Powdered tea fell out of favour in China during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) when loose-leaf brewing became dominant. Japan continued developing the tradition in isolation — which is why matcha today is considered quintessentially Japanese even though its origins are Chinese.

Modern matcha

Improved cultivar selection and better shade-growing techniques in the 19th and 20th centuries refined production. The global rise of matcha as a consumer product accelerated significantly in the 2010s and continues today.