In fact, the tea ceremony is closely related to the war in the history of the country of Japan.

1: Relieve the fatigue of war

The tea ceremony also played an important role during the Warring States period. This was a time of warfare in many parts of Japan and political and social instability in the country.

However, even in a war-torn world, the tea ceremony and tea provided a tool for spiritual stability and bonding among people. It is said that even warlords drank tea to relieve their fatigue.

Matcha tea was probably very useful because it contained many nutrients, such as catechins and minerals, and was easy to carry and manage.

2: Leveraging the Tea Ceremony for Diplomacy and Gathering People

After all, we need people for the war. If possible, you want excellent personnel.

For this reason, it is said that tea ceremonies were utilized as a good place to entertain guests.

There is an anecdote about a warlord who invited as many as 500 guests to a tea ceremony and used rare tea utensils to attract talented people.

3：Utilizing the Tea Ceremony to Boost Morale

There is also an anecdote that during the siege of Odawara Castle, the warlord Ujimasa Hojo served tea to his soldiers to help them recover from fatigue, transcending differences in status.

Specifically, Ujimasa Hojo directly distributed tea to his men.

It is said that his exhausted subordinates were greatly motivated by the honor of receiving tea directly from Ujimasa.

This episode shows the high level of understanding and popularity of the tea ceremony among Hojo Ujimasa’s subordinates. Even in times of crisis, he used the spiritual power of tea to inspire his soldiers to defend the castle to the death.