Tea ceremony - Ochakō

…Tea contests, also called "tea drinking contests," were games in which participants had to guess the flavor of tea. At first, participants had to choose between honcha (tea from Toganoo, Kyoto) and hicha (tea from other places), and prizes were distributed according to the points scored. Later, the number of types of tea was increased to four, and the game became more complicated, with participants having to guess the flavor of 10 or 70 cups of tea. This type of tea contest was popular until the end of the 15th century, and then declined in the 16th century, but it can still be seen today in the folk customs of tea ceremonies in Nakanojo, Gunma Prefecture. Meanwhile, the new feudal lords who were active during the civil war between the Northern and Southern Courts loved tea contests, and at the same time, they decorated themselves with Chinese utensils (karamono) imported from China, giving rise to the popularity of karamono dazzling. …

*Some of the terminology that refers to "ochako" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…闘茶は飲茶勝負とも呼ばれたように，茶の味を飲み当てるゲームで，初めは本茶(京都栂尾の茶)と非茶(栂尾以外の茶)を飲み分け，得点によって懸賞が分配される形式であったが，のちには茶の種類を4種にふやし，10服とか70服とか何杯もの茶の味を当てる複雑なゲームとなった。このような闘茶はその後15世紀末まで盛んに行われ，16世紀には衰退していったが，現代でも群馬県中之条のお茶講などの民俗に残照をみせている。一方，南北朝内乱期に活躍した新興の大名たちは闘茶を愛好すると同時に，中国から舶載される器物類(唐物)をもって自分たちを飾り，唐物荘厳の流行を生んだ。…

※「お茶講」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報