Japanese tea and wagashi (Japanese-style confections) are inseparable in the tea ceremony. Wagashi, served before the tea itself, are said to draw out the essence of the tea.
Two different kinds of wagashi are served in the course of the tea ceremony: namagashi and higashi. Namagashi are Japanese cakes using bean paste like the familiar sakuramochi, manju and yokan; higashi are dry confections such as okoshi, rakugan and senbei.
In the days of the great tea master Sen no Rikyu, it is said, namagashi as we know them did not exist; fruits, nuts, herbs and konbu (kelp) were served instead. Somewhat later, wagashi were handmade by tea masters in the kitchen area of the teahouse. Tea masters took pains over the kind of adzuki beans to use in the cakes, selecting choice varieties from producing areas like Bitchu (western part of present-day Okayama Prefecture) and Tanba (part of present-day Kyoto Prefecture).