Matcha Kumoi no Mukashi

The meaning of Kumoi no Mukashi "雲井の昔" :
雲井 (Kumoi) is used to describe the capital where the imperial palace is located. Since it seems that "Kumoi no mukashi" and "Miyako no fuji" were named at or around the same time, it is believed that "kumoi" refers to the capital. (for an explanation of the usage of "mukashi" and "shiro", please refer to the general notes)

◆The general notes of the usage of "mukashi" and "shiro":
The expressions "Mukashi" and "Shiro" at the end of tea names have a grading connotation and are used to distinguish between thick and thin teas, respectively.
Only "Mukashi" was likely to have been used originally, with the expression "Shiro” coming into use later on.

"Mukashi" is said to be a combination of the Chinese characters for "twenty" (廿) and "day" (日). Crucially, March 20th (廿日) of the lunar calendar is when it was said that the very best tea is picked.

"Shiro" became common during the reign of the third shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, and is said to have originated when the feudal lords of the time actively asked Uji tea masters to make their tea “thin" or "light". It is not clear what the expression “shiro" specifically meant at that time, but it is thought to have referred to the differences in taste, as records show that Furuta Oribe preferred dark green tea while Kobori Enshu preferred it to be lighter.
Perhaps the difference between 'dark' and 'light' tea can also be explained by the difference in the preparation methods of the tea in Uji.

Other theories as to the origins of the words “mukashi" and “shiro" exist, but it can be said with reasonable confidence that the word “mukashi" has been used since ancient times, with the word “shiro" coming into use from the Edo period onwards. Later generation tea masters then replaced the traditional word “mukashi" with the term “shiro," both of which had previously been used to describe the grades of the tea, and made it commonplace.

In any case, it is not totally clear how the times and changes in the history of the tea ceremony could have affected the meaning of “shiro" or "mukashi". However, they are words that reflect the trends and changes of the times and have been carried over to the present day.

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