鎌倉時代の終わり頃、京都ではお茶の産地を当てる「闘茶」という遊びが流行しました。実はこの闘茶が、宮中にも持ち込まれています。宮内省には、花園天皇の直筆の日記である『花園天皇宸記』が伝わっています。その中には、正慶1年（1332）6月5日に「飲茶の勝負があった」と記されています。「賭物も出された」とあるので、当時の宮廷で、天皇が近臣とともに興じ賭け事をしていていたことになります。

At the beginning of the 14^th century, it is thought that tea tasting games, or tôcha, were popular in Kyoto. The participants had to guess where the tea had been grown. These games were held even in the court. The Imperial Household Agency holds Hanazono Tennô Shinki, a personal diary written by Emperor Hanazono (1297 – 1348).

One day in summer 1332, he wrote “we had a tea tasting game” and “prizes were awarded to the winners”, showing that the games were played at the highest level of the court.