A Bowl for a CoinA Commodity History of Japanese Tea\nAuthor(s): William Wayne Farris\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: University of Hawai'i Press, United States\nImprint: University of Hawai'i Press\nISBN-13: 9780824876609, 978-0824876609\nSynopsis\nA Bowl for a Coin is the first book in any language to describe and analyze the history of all Japanese teas from the plants introduction to the archipelago around 750 to the present day. To understand the triumph of the tea plant in Japan, Wayne Farris begins with its cultivation and goes on to describe the myriad ways in which the herb was processed into a palatable beverage, ultimately resulting in the wide variety of teas we enjoy today. Along the way, he traces in fascinating detail the shift in teas status from exotic gift item from China, tied to Heian [tel] court ritual and medicinal uses, to tax and commodity for exchange in the 1350s, to its complete nativization in Edo [tel] art and literature and its eventual place on the table .