Uji no Sato

About the brand

Maiko no Cha Honpo

舞妓の茶本舗

Maiko no Cha Honpo (舞妓の茶本舗) is a celebrated Kyoto tea house based in the Fugenji district of Kyotanabe City — one of the most revered gyokuro-producing areas in all of Japan. Founded in 1950 as 'Fugenji Plantations' and rebranded in 1970 under the Maiko name after legendary tea master Yamashita Juichi (山下壽一) won first place at the National Tea Competition, the company has built one of the most extraordinary competitive records in Japanese tea history. Yamashita Juichi won the Agricultural Minister's Award at the national gyokuro competition seven times and at the Kansai Tea Competition eleven times, and in 1991 performed hand-picking of tea leaves for the Emperor and Empress of Japan. His grandson Yamashita Shintaro (山下新貴) has continued the dynasty, winning the Agricultural Minister's Award at the Kansai Tea Competition three consecutive years (2019–2021) and taking first place at the National Tea Competition in 2022. Their matcha lineup is equally distinguished: the flagship 宏悦 (Koetsu) won a Silver Award at the 2019 Japanese Tea Selection Paris among 238 international entries. From the single-farm Fugenji growing area in Kyotanabe, the Yamashita family's multi-generational expertise is embedded into every grade of their matcha — from the ultra-premium koicha-grade Koetsu to their accessible everyday tins.