Kinomi Dokyo is a traditional annual event, when hundreds of Buddhist monks from temples all over Japan were invited to the Imperial Court to recite sutras (religious texts) for three or four days (11th to 14th February), and to pray for the peace and good fortune of the nation. It was begun in the Nara period (710-794) and has been an annual event since 859.
Although it doesn’t happen in the same grand way these days, each temple does still have its own smaller Kinomi Dokyo, and many people in Japan chant sutras at home in front of their own altars.
The third day of the traditional Kinomi Dokyo was set aside for a formal debate, held to clarify the doctrines of Buddhism, and then on the final day a banquet was prepared for the attending nobles, who wore splendid costumes.
Most importantly, on the second day cups of tea were served to all the monks. Perhaps the caffein in the tea helped them keep their concentration during the long hours of listening and reading sutras! Matcha tea was not actually developed until the 12th century, so before then, in the 9th century, they may well have drunk green tea with ginger.
By the 15th century Matcha tea had begun to form the heart of the Japanese Tea Ceremony, which was also being developed by Japanese monks as part of Buddhist Zen ritual, and has been central to the Tea Ceremony ever since.
I’ve realized how strong the ties are between Japanese tea culture and Buddhism. Even these days, many monks practice the Tea Ceremony, and I myself have sometimes attended lessons with my teacher in Tofukuji temple in Kyoto. On these occasions, being in the temple, I have felt that my mind is in a more purified state to practice the Tea Ceremony.