This is a myth about how tea arrived in Japan.
Daruma made the pledge of 7 years of meditation.
He vowed not to sleep in these 7 years. Despite this vow, he fell asleep one night.
When he woke up the next morning, he was so angered by his failure, that he cut off his eyelids and threw them to the ground.
As soon as the eyelids touched the soil, immediately there grew roots which soon developed into a large bush.
When Daruma saw this wonder, he prepared himself a drink out of the leaves.
People came from all around to see him and many followed the monk and prepared a drink from the leaves. The knowledge of the drink’s refreshing and invigorating effect was spread everywhere. The delicious taste and scent were reason enough to see this drink as “divine”.
Until today the Japanese language uses the same character for eyelid and tea 茶 .
