Jufuku-ji is the 3rd highest ranked among Kamakura´s 5 principle temples of Zen sect. It was founded the year after Minatomo Yoritomo´s death (died 1199) when his widow Hojo Masako invited Myó-an Eisai (1141-1215) to be the founding priest. Eisai was born in Japan, became a Buddhist monk and went to China twice. There he met a Chan teacher and several years later when he returned to Japan he was the first Zen priest to preach in Japan. Subsequently, he founded the Rinzai sect in Japan in 1191. He is also famous for introducing the custom of green tea drinking in Japan. It was first used more as a medicine than as a beverage. After Eisai himself brought tea seeds with him from China, the tea plant began to to be cultivated in Japan. He wrote “KISSAYDÓJOKI” = How to Stay Healthy by Drinking Tea.
