Kikuju

About the brand

Okunishi Rokuhoen

奥西緑芳園

Okunishi Rokuhoen (株式会社奥西緑芳園) is a Kyoto tea house founded in 1865 (Keio 1) by Okunishi Risaburo I. He worked under the guidance of the Kanbayashi family, Uji’s hereditary tea masters. Fifth-generation president Okunishi Kazuo now runs it from Kyotanabe. The company says it has managed local tea gardens for roughly 350 years and handles cultivation, processing and sales in-house. It holds Imperial Household supplier status and has supplied matcha for palace garden parties and tea ceremonies. Temple clients include Kyoto’s Daitokuji and its sub-temple Tokuzenji, and Kamakura’s Enkakuji. Several past abbots lent their names and preferences to matcha blends. Incorporated in November 1952 with ¥10 million in capital and 7 employees, its business covers Japanese tea manufacturing, wholesale and retail.