Ref:   gazette.com  Casualties of War, Part I: The hell of war comes home

A Buddhist monk first introduced drinking tea in 9^th Century who brought it from China, with all the information as to how to grow it was written, making it the first written document recording the existence of tea in Japan.  As the years went by, the “way of tea” was slowly evolving and as many people practiced, it became one of the forms of hospitality when a visitor comes to one’s home. It used to be the merchants, who mainly practiced serving tea to their fellow colleagues, but later it also became a practice of the warrior class to serve others. It is said that the Sadō was perfected during the 16^th Century by Sen no Rikyu, a time where there was constant warfare amongst Daimyos and was one of the most dangerous times in Japanese history.

As a part of entertaining their guests, the warriors served them tea. Some Daimyos even played a practical joke on the other Daimyos who was hostile to them a very thick tea, making them believe as if they have been served poison and panicked. In other times the tea ceremony was used as a place to conduct secret meetings between people, (since the ceremony is long, there is plenty of time to talk) and many political moves were played since it is both private and a “high cultured” space.